The case in summary: Laila-Beate Thomassen-Paulsen was earlier in August on a long train journey without the opportunity to go to the toilet. Two out of three toilets were closed the entire trip, and the third eventually ran out of water. The Gastrointestinal Association believes the train companies are breaking the law by closing the toilets. The train companies SJ Nord and Vy are responsible for the sections where the toilets were closed. They fully understand the frustration, and at the same time point out that it is rare that all toilets are closed at the same time. Secretary General of the Gastrointestinal Association, Mads Johansson, thinks it is embarrassing that in Norway in 2024 they will have to fight for access to toilets. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It was almost like watching a cow run in the summer when the cows come out of the barn after a long winter. They raced to get to the toilet first, and some looked like they were about to pull their pants down on the way over. According to Laila-Beate Thomassen-Paulsen, this is what happened when the train between Hamar and Trondheim stopped and people could finally do what they needed. After a holiday in Southern and Eastern Norway, she was to return home to Senja. For parts of the trip, she chose to take the Røros Railway. – Then of course I took it for granted that the opportunity to go to the toilet was included, she says. Thomassen-Paulsen has irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder that approximately 15 out of 100 Norwegians have. Abdominal pain and diarrhea are common complaints. That’s why she got a lump in her throat from the message that came over the loudspeakers shortly after the train left the platform. – Two out of three toilets were closed. Then I thought: The train is packed – how is this going to go? They should have fixed the toilets before departure, or changed the train set. A few hours later, another message came over the speakers, which made the trip even worse. Laila-Beate Thomassen-Paulsen has irritable bowel syndrome and needs quick access to the toilet. When she took a train without the possibility of going to the bathroom, she fortunately had a good day, she says. Photo: Laila Thomassen-Paulsen – Illegal – The message was that the third toilet was empty of water, says Thomassen-Paulsen. Many passengers were distraught, she continues: – Some had children with them, and it is a well-known fact that children must be allowed to go to the bathroom when they need to. For me it could have been really bad, but luckily I had a good day this particular day. It was luck. 45 minutes before arrival in Trondheim, the train stopped for a 30-minute toilet break. The passengers had then been completely without a toilet for an hour and a half. In 2021, the bus company AtB in Trøndelag was hit hard after closing the toilets on its six long-distance routes. They argued with traffic safety, but the Discrimination Board ruled unanimously that the practice was illegal. The decision has the effect of a final judgment. – Closing the toilets, as the train companies do, is therefore an offence, says secretary general of the Gastrointestinal Association, Mads Johansson. They were the ones who took legal action against AtB. Now they are threatening to do the same to the train companies. Mads Johansson believes we need an awakening: – Lack of toilet facilities can lead to isolation. Photo: Ragnhild Elnæs/Kolonihaven.no Want to spend the time on something else Norway is one of the countries in the world with the highest incidence of stomach and intestinal diseases. The national association works for the rights of these patients. Johansson says that access to the toilet is one of the things they spend the most time on. – It is embarrassing that we have to fight for something like this in Norway. I could imagine spending my time on something else, he says. Petra Cyvin Storås has previously told that the frequent toilet visits are the worst part of having inflammatory bowel disease: Understands the frustration news has seen some of the feedback about train journeys without a toilet that the Gastrointestinal Association has recently received. On the Gjøvik line this summer, passengers must have encountered only closed toilets. An employee reportedly said they didn’t have time to keep them open. On Kongsvingerbanen, also this summer, the sign “sorry, out of service” was pasted on all toilet doors. Vy is responsible for these sections. SJ Nord for the Røros Railway. The companies write to news that this should not happen, and that they understand the frustration – especially for those with additional needs. – It is not often that we drive with all the toilets closed. But that also happens, unfortunately. The reason why we choose to run without toilets is that the alternative is to cancel the train, says press officer in Vy, Kaja Rynning Moen. According to her, Vy has now implemented measures: – After the summer, we set up several emptying and filling facilities where we park our trains at night, in order to increase capacity. We want everyone to have a good experience when they travel with us, and hope that this measure will reduce the challenges of closed toilets. SJ Nord says that toilet closures on their trains are very rare. Calculations they have made show that just over one toilet is closed every month on all sections. At the same time, they confirm that all toilets were closed between Røros and Trondheim during the trip to Laila-Beate Thomassen-Paulsen. – We do not send off trains without a working toilet, but in this case the problem arose en route, writes press officer Eva Paulsen in an e-mail. She is happy that the staff took a 30-minute toilet break, which to some extent remedied the challenge. Did you know that handicap signs across the country are about to be replaced with new ones? Awakening Johansson in the Gastrointestinal Association believes we must have stricter national guidelines. The Directorate of Railways, for its part, says that there is already a clear requirement for functioning toilets in all regional and long-distance trains. The Ministry of Transport does not take the issue lightly, but writes in an email to news that they have “a clear expectation that the toilets on the trains will work”. – An awakening is needed. Clogged toilets affect the entire population, but especially anyone who struggles with intestinal disorders. This is a big problem, because it can create isolation, says Johansson, and adds that access to toilets is recognized by the UN as a human right. He thinks we would never have accepted a ban on eating and drinking on trains. – And we shouldn’t accept that we can’t go to the toilet either. Published 29/08/2024, at 15.27
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– Embarrassing that we have to fight for something like this in Norway – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
