Gender neutral toilets are being installed at the UK’s busiest railway station.
Network Rail said the measure will “improve inclusivity” at London Waterloo.
It is part of a programme to boost toilet facilities at the station, which was used by an estimated 41 million passengers in the 12 months to the end of March 2022.
We’re pleased that passengers and station users at London Waterloo station will soon be able to benefit from new and improved toilet facilities which will make their journeys a lot more pleasant and comfortable— Station manager Cem Davis
Work is due to start in mid-February and be completed during the summer.
A balanced number of female and male toilet facilities will be created.
There will also be extra baby changing areas and easier access for passengers with reduced mobility, the elderly and people using pushchairs.
Station manager Cem Davis said: “We’re pleased that passengers and station users at London Waterloo station will soon be able to benefit from new and improved toilet facilities which will make their journeys a lot more pleasant and comfortable.
“One of the main benefits is that we’ll be introducing gender neutral toilets which will improve inclusivity across the station.”
Figures published last month revealed 262,000 people in England and Wales who responded to the 2021 census said their gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.
This represents 0.5% of the population aged 16 and over.
The total included 30,000 who identified as non-binary.
Network Rail scrapped the 30p charge for using London Waterloo’s toilets in March 2019.
At the time, it said the facilities were used by more than 1.5 million people per year, making them “contenders for the UK’s busiest loos”.
Other modernisation work at the station involves the replacement of a 100-year-old roof above the main concourse, improved information systems and new shops.
