The toilets on the Trans-Mongolian train are the western type. They are made of sturdy metal.
There is one toilet at the end of every carriage, therefore passengers in deluxe class (first class according to the Russian classification system) have fewer people to share the toilet with than those in the other classes.
The toilet seat and or lid can be held up with a special attachment, which is useful when the train is jumping about.
There is a pedal attached to the bottom right of the toilet, close to the floor, that when pressed will open up the bottom of the toilet, whilst at the same time flushing the toilet bowl with water. The waste goes onto the tracks. For this reason, the toilets are locked when the train is stationary. This is not normally longer than about half an hour, but can be considerably more – up to four hours when the train is at borders. It is clearly a good idea to make sure you go just before reaching the border stop!
Toilet paper is provided. If this runs out, try looking above you to see if there is any on the hook, located above the toilet paper. If not, the train attendant should have some in his supplies. There is a container above the toilet roll holder with some small white bags in it.
A small white bar of soap is provided in a soap dish to the right of the sink. If this runs out you may need to provide your own.
All classes on the train have the same type of toilets.
Toilets remain fairly clean throughout the trip.
It is normally possible to use the toilets in any carriage, but occasionally the guards may point you back to your own carriage.
Other Uses
In second class, and therefore without access to a shower, it will be necessary to wash yourself in the basin if you intend to wash during your journey, that is. It would therefore be useful to bring a flannel. Some travellers develop ingenious contraptions with which to wash themselves, such as a plastic bag or bottle filled with water with a few holes in the bottom to use as a shower. However, this will cause a lot of water to go on the floor.
The basin is also used for washing up eating and drinking utensils.
Other Toilets
The only time that you are likely to have to use a "non-train" toilet is at the border stops if you decide to get off. In Naushki, on the Russian side there is a charge of 8 roubles for the toilet at the station.
Richard Milnes - Richard was born in London, England, but has since spent much of his life travelling the world and has visited nearly 50 ...
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