Passenger Train Toilet - Hopper Toilet

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:

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.