In rail transport, many passenger trains (usually medium and long-distance) have toilet facilities on board. These are often located at the ends of carriages. Toilets suitable for wheelchair users are larger, and hence trains with such facilities may not have toilets in each carriage.
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The traditional method of disposing human waste from trains is simply to deposit the waste onto the tracks using what is known as a hopper toilet. This ranges from the toilets being a hole in the floor of the train, to a full flush system (possibly with sterilization). The 'hole in the floor' (also known as a drop chute toilet) system where waste is deposited on the track is still in use in many parts of the world, particularly aboard older rolling stock. The principal drawback is that it can be considered crude or unhygienic – it litters railway lines and can produce health risks if the train is passing over a public waterway. Passengers may be discouraged from flushing or using toilets while the train is at a station. In the United States, Dvořák's "Humoresque Number 7" became the setting for a series of mildly scatological humorous verses, regarding passenger train toilets, beginning:
| “ | Passengers will please refrain From flushing toilets while the train |
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Generally the problem is unavoidable, although there are solutions where toilets are automatically locked when the train pulls into a station.
Properly designed drop chute toilets will draw air like a chimney, pulling air through the lavatory door vents and then down and out through the toilet, reducing odor.[1]
Chemical retention tanks are usually present aboard newer carriages and railcars in wealthier and more densely populated parts of the world. One issue is that the tanks need to be regularly emptied, usually when being attended at a terminal station, or prolonged stop-over. If a train is required in service again within too short a period, the tanks may not get emptied. In this case, toilets may back up, which can result in toilets being closed. Another point of note is that carriages may have less "in service" time if fitted with chemical retention tanks.
Some trains may also be fitted with composting toilet tanks, which use bacterial action to break down solid and liquid waste before releasing it to the trackbed by way of a chlorine sanitizing tank.
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