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Loo charge at Inverness railway station ‘not good for elderly’


By Andrew Dixon

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A CHARITY has accused ScotRail of letting down older people after the rail operator scrapped plans to make station toilets free.

The company had proposed removing the fees for using facilities at Inverness railway station as well as Glasgow Queen Street, Aberdeen and Fort William.

However, it announced last week that it had backtracked, saying police had warned the move could lead to a rise in antisocial behaviour.

Network Rail, however, has already scrapped charges for stations it is responsible for, including Glasgow Central.

Age UK said ScotRail’s decision was “yet another barrier” to travel and urged the company to rethink.

Brian Sloan, the charity’s chief executive, said: “This is a significant let down to older people and those with medical conditions who are very likely to use these toilets when travelling.

“Despite receiving millions of pounds of taxpayer subsidy and ticket prices at sky-high rates, news that ScotRail is not prepared to match an identical commitment by Network Rail to make public toilets in Waverley and Glasgow Central free to use is thoroughly disappointing.”

Research for Age UK has found that many older people will not make journeys when they know they will not have a convenient toilet stop on the route.

A third of older people told the charity they would use public transport more often if access to toilets was easier.

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