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Is there a right to free water on long distance trains?

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infobleep

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Get yourself a collapsible water bottle and download the 'Refill' app. The app will tell you your nearest free water refill point. There are over 20,000 places signed up in the UK, including many at railway stations.
Does that include large concert venue, who don't like people taking in plastic bottles?
 

Meerkat

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Or football matches where they rake the lids off bottles they sell?
 

TurbostarFan

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One of the good things about Greater Anglia: they provide free water bottle refill stations at numerous railway stations.
 
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The thing about free water is it isnt free.
Somebody somewhere has to pay for it, so why shouldnt it be the person who wants to drink it?
 

BluePenguin

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This is all nonsense. Of course free water is available and is your basic human right. I have been given free water on request many times. I usually take my own big bottle but that tends to run out on a 5 hour journey.

So if the water from the tap on Eurostar is not drinkable, how do they make people cups of tea and coffee?

Also the water must be drinkable as else what do the staff drink? I doubt they pay €3 a pop for a bottle when they are thirsty. Surely they are not expected to drink water before starting their shift either.

Eurostars and other long distance trains take several hours to reach their destination. I refuse to believe that bottled water is the only option.

I will test my theory when I go to Amsterdam next week
 

ainsworth74

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So if the water from the tap on Eurostar is not drinkable, how do they make people cups of tea and coffee?

Water from the tap in the toilet on Eurostar or other trains is not considered safe to drink as it is not stored safely, may not be sourced from a safe source and the pipework isn't maintained to the appropriate standard for safe drinking water.

The water from the buffet will be safe to drink from the taps in there because the buffet pipework will be maintained to the right standard and, more important, the water is filtered/treated by equipment in the buffet. I've been on at least one HST in the UK where they were unable to offer any hot drinks (or the Pullman Dining on one occasion) because the filtration system in the buffet was broken so they couldn't provide safe drinking water.

By all means try drinking the water from the tap in the toilet of a Eurostar but don't be surprised if you end up ill as a result!
 

Clip

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So if the water from the tap on Eurostar is not drinkable, how do they make people cups of tea and coffee?
From an urn or boiler that is separate from the water that is used for the bathrooms.

Also the water must be drinkable as else what do the staff drink? I doubt they pay €3 a pop for a bottle when they are thirsty. Surely they are not expected to drink water before starting their shift either.
This is rather silly - of course they don't have to fill up before they start nor pay for their water either.

Eurostars and other long distance trains take several hours to reach their destination. I refuse to believe that bottled water is the only option.

It isn't.
 
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This is all nonsense. Of course free water is available and is your basic human right.

Being able to drink water straight from the tap is not a basic human right though is it.

The attitude these days seems to be that people or companies must take money out of their own purses to take care of "you" that is the proverbial you by the way.

Maybe in a situation where a person must take a tablet and needs some water to help take it then maybe but the manager of the store is not in any way obliged to supply it.

You kind of need to take some responsibility for youself sometimes, and drop the expectations that somebody else will pay for things like bottled water because you didnt want to spend your money on it. Or didnt have the forethought to bring enough for a 4 or 5 hour train ride.
 

TRAX

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If you know you’ll NEED water during the day, for example to take a pill, surely you should carry your own water with you ?
 

trainophile

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What would people think if a random stranger knocked on their door and asked for water, unless they qualified it by saying they felt unwell or something?
 

Mag_seven

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What is a "long distance" train anyway - would you have to provide water on say a Thameslink train from Peterborough to Horsham (118 miles) or a West Midlands train from Euston to Liverpool Lime st via Birmingham (203 miles), neither of which has any catering facilities?
 

AM9

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What is a "long distance" train anyway - would you have to provide water on say a Thameslink train from Peterborough to Horsham (118 miles) or a West Midlands train from Euston to Liverpool Lime st via Birmingham (203 miles), neither of which has any catering facilities?
If you think that you'll need it, yes. If the train is unduly delayed, that is a different matter, but boarding a train and complaining that there wasn't a drinking water supply is just lazy or irresponsible. It's as bad as expecting the train to have charging facilities when you can't be bothered to charge your own device for the journey.
 

Clayton

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If you think that you'll need it, yes. If the train is unduly delayed, that is a different matter, but boarding a train and complaining that there wasn't a drinking water supply is just lazy or irresponsible. It's as bad as expecting the train to have charging facilities when you can't be bothered to charge your own device for the journey.
Maybe your device runs out of charge on the journey. It’s expected these days that you can charge up on longer journeys. I agree that you need to bring your own water on commuter trips but I certainly get through quite a lot on long trips and it needs to be available, and free in the case of delays. If the train company can’t be bothered to keep to the timetable it’s the least they can do.
 

AM9

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Maybe your device runs out of charge on the journey. It’s expected these days that you can charge up on longer journeys. I agree that you need to bring your own water on commuter trips but I certainly get through quite a lot on long trips and it needs to be available, and free in the case of delays. If the train company can’t be bothered to keep to the timetable it’s the least they can do.
If your device runs out during your journey and you really need it to be continuously available then:
a) make sure that it is fully charged at the start of your journey
b) if necessary carry a portable charger
With water, as I have said above in my post that you have quoted, "If the train is unduly delayed, that is a different matter". If you are a heavy water drinker, then ensure that you have enough for whatever journey you are making. If that's too much trouble, just consider what should happen if a train water supply should fail or run out. Should the train be taken out of service, should it spend half an hour at a station whilst the thirsty passengers wander around a station looking for a water supply (then prompting every passenger to make a dely-repay claim), or should it just get on with doing what it exists for, i.e. carrying passengers to their destination as per the published timetable. It's unfortunate but inevitable, things can fail to be available and being responsible for your own arrangements for sundries like charging various electrical devices and carrying water is the best way to travel. You have a right to carry your own water, (unlike on an aeroplane).
The railway is there firstly to transport people.
 

Clayton

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If your device runs out during your journey and you really need it to be continuously available then:
a) make sure that it is fully charged at the start of your journey
b) if necessary carry a portable charger
With water, as I have said above in my post that you have quoted, "If the train is unduly delayed, that is a different matter". If you are a heavy water drinker, then ensure that you have enough for whatever journey you are making. If that's too much trouble, just consider what should happen if a train water supply should fail or run out. Should the train be taken out of service, should it spend half an hour at a station whilst the thirsty passengers wander around a station looking for a water supply (then prompting every passenger to make a dely-repay claim), or should it just get on with doing what it exists for, i.e. carrying passengers to their destination as per the published timetable. It's unfortunate but inevitable, things can fail to be available and being responsible for your own arrangements for sundries like charging various electrical devices and carrying water is the best way to travel. You have a right to carry your own water, (unlike on an aeroplane).
The railway is there firstly to transport people.
I think times change, people used to expect to smoke, to have a nice compartment to sit in, and to eat in the dining car, but now they want to charge devices and drink water - even though it is odd that people are thirstier now.
 

trainophile

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I think times change, people used to expect to smoke, to have a nice compartment to sit in, and to eat in the dining car, but now they want to charge devices and drink water - even though it is odd that people are thirstier now.

Or trains are hotter now. You used to be able to open a window!
 

Llanigraham

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Maybe your device runs out of charge on the journey. It’s expected these days that you can charge up on longer journeys. I agree that you need to bring your own water on commuter trips but I certainly get through quite a lot on long trips and it needs to be available, and free in the case of delays. If the train company can’t be bothered to keep to the timetable it’s the least they can do.
Er??
How about taking responsibility for yourself?
 

Tom B

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In the case of mobile devices, since the ToCs wish to push the use of mobile tickets which are invalid if the device is dead, provision of power is important!

As to water, I buy the 2 litre bottles from the supermarket which cost 17p a go, and usually refill each from the tap 3-4 times before the bottle wears out (or gets used to take waste cooking or motor oil to the tip, or turned into an impromptu funnel, or storage tin, or...). I take one with me on long journeys for environmental but also financial reasons, especially now that refill points are available at many termini. Similarly, on a long car journey I would take one, and have another under the boot floor with an emergency pack of crisps and bourbons (at least if stuck on a train you could go to the buffet!).
 
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Water from the tap in the toilet on Eurostar or other trains is not considered safe to drink as it is not stored safely, may not be sourced from a safe source and the pipework isn't maintained to the appropriate standard for safe drinking water.

The water from the buffet will be safe to drink from the taps in there because the buffet pipework will be maintained to the right standard and, more important, the water is filtered/treated by equipment in the buffet. I've been on at least one HST in the UK where they were unable to offer any hot drinks (or the Pullman Dining on one occasion) because the filtration system in the buffet was broken so they couldn't provide safe drinking water.

By all means try drinking the water from the tap in the toilet of a Eurostar but don't be surprised if you end up ill as a result!

So is the cold water from the wash hand basins on the Sleepers particularly the old Cornish carriages sourced from a safe source with appropriate pipework, so that I can brush my teeth before retiring for the night???
 

AM9

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In the case of mobile devices, since the ToCs wish to push the use of mobile tickets which are invalid if the device is dead, provision of power is important! ...

Presenting an e-ticket etc., that cannot be read is the same as a) a tatty/damaged paper one or b) not showing one at all. So making sure that you canmpresent a valid ticket is just as important as remembering to bring your wallet or handbag.
 

sprunt

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The attitude these days seems to be that people or companies must take money out of their own purses to take care of "you" that is the proverbial you by the way.

Not "out of their own purses" - out of the money that a passenger has paid for their ticket. And they clearly do have to use that money to provide more than the very bare minimum required to get passengers from A to B, so a discussion of whether one of those things should be potable water isn't entirely outrageous.
 

AM9

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Not "out of their own purses" - out of the money that a passenger has paid for their ticket. And they clearly do have to use that money to provide more than the very bare minimum required to get passengers from A to B, so a discussion of whether one of those things should be potable water isn't entirely outrageous.
It all helps to raise the price of tickets for everbody whether they partake or not, and possibly, damage the service, i.e. if access water is to be a 'right' as the title of the thread suggests, then if the water supply was unavailable would every passenger be entitled to compensation or would the train be taken out of service as not fit to run?
 

Llanigraham

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Not "out of their own purses" - out of the money that a passenger has paid for their ticket. And they clearly do have to use that money to provide more than the very bare minimum required to get passengers from A to B, so a discussion of whether one of those things should be potable water isn't entirely outrageous.

Your ticket only provides you with the "promise" of a journey between 2 points. Nothing more than that. It doesn't even promise you a seat.
Expecting or demanding anything more than that is fanciful, and yes, outrageous.
If I catch the long distance bus to London they do not provide me with FREE water, and possibly not a charge point for my phone either.
 

TurbostarFan

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It all helps to raise the price of tickets for everbody whether they partake or not, and possibly, damage the service, i.e. if access water is to be a 'right' as the title of the thread suggests, then if the water supply was unavailable would every passenger be entitled to compensation or would the train be taken out of service as not fit to run?
If the latter than not only would that be ridiculous, people may end up having to spend even longer without water. That might be extremely counterproductive.
 

Clayton

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Er??
How about taking responsibility for yourself?
Erm excuse me, I’m a customer of a valuable business and I want proper service! Fares are astronomical and delays frequent, customers need to be looked after in a way appropriate to the 21st century. Charging points are normal elsewhere.
 
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