Train drivers to get toilets after pooing tragedy

Friday, January 11, 2008

The Seoul subway authority will install toilets in drivers' compartments, after one of its engineers plunged to his death while apparently relieving himself from a moving train.

The Seoul Metro plans to provide nearly 400 toilets from this month in drivers' cabs, and increase the number of staff bathrooms at stations, a spokesman said on Thursday.

'A major concern is the smell,' said Kim Kyung-mo.

The incident that prompted the move took place in December when a driver, apparently suffering from diarrhoea, leaned out of his compartment and fell on the tracks. He was hit by another train, local media reported.

The toilets consist of a collapsible seat that stands a few centimetres off the ground, and a receptacle.

The device can be stored in a compartment about the size of a thick briefcase.

'Seoul Metro believes this step will help our staff better focus on transporting our citizens safely,' it said in a news release.