Will I be safe if I travel on your trains?

The Government has now said that it’s ok to travel by train. We know it might seem a bit nerve-wracking taking a train journey at the moment – especially if you haven’t travelled on our trains since before March, but we’d like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible to make your journey with us as safe as it can be, so that you can travel safely with us this summer.

This is our safer travel pledge

Our service is pretty much back to normal in terms of the number and length of trains we’re running now, but we still have only a fraction of the usual number of passengers, so you should find that there’s plenty of room to spread out on the train and keep your distance from people who aren’t in your family or bubble. We’ve got a page on our website which we update regularly using latest passenger numbers to show which trains are the emptiest with fewest passengers.

It is now law that everyone – with some exemptions - on our trains and stations should wear a face covering, which is an important measure to help stop the spread of the disease. Anyone not wearing a face covering who isn't exempt, is liable to receive a £200 fine for a first offence which will double at each offence with a maximum fine of £6400 being charged.

We’re doing our best to keep our trains disinfected. We’ve increased cleaning on stations and trains and our cleaners are paying particular attention to high-touch areas including door handles, push buttons, tables and arm rests. We’ve got special fogging guns, which we’re using on all of our trains to give them an extra thorough clean – blasting away many germs. We’re investing in some new powerful cleaning equipment and extra staff – look out for more information about this coming soon.

We’re keeping soap and water topped up in toilets and we have hand sanitiser available in all staffed stations so you can clean your hands before and after you get on the train – handy if you’ve forgotten to pack your own hand sanitiser.

We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for you to know how to travel safely on our trains. As soon as you get to the station, you’ll see some of the social distancing measures we’ve put in, including floor markings, screens between ticket machines and even one-way systems at bigger stations. You may see that some facilities are closed, such as waiting rooms and some seating so that you can maintain appropriate social distancing. At busier stations, there are staff on hand to help everyone with social distancing, by making sure customers use the full length of platforms and stand back to allow people off the train before getting on themselves.

There are things you can do too to help us help you keep safe

Please put on your face covering before you enter the station – it doesn’t need to be a medical grade facemask - a bandanna, snood or scarf will do if you haven’t got a facemask itself. Facemasks are available to buy from vending machines at Liverpool Street station. Did you know that wearing a face covering reduces the risk of the spreading the disease? But obviously it’s more effective the more people who are wearing them.

You could be fined anywhere from £200 if you don’t wear one.

In order to cut down the amount of time you have to spend at our stations, we’re asking you to plan your journey ahead and buy your ticket online or using our app. If you do need to buy your ticket at the ticket office or ticket machine, please use contactless payment if you can.

Wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough and please don’t leave dirty tissues on the floor, seats or tables – put them in a bin or take them away with you.

Please don’t travel if you have any Covid-19 symptoms.

I need assistance – can I still travel?

Of course you can, we’ll be happy to help you. Some things may look a little different though. Our staff will discuss with you what assistance you require and how they’ll do it, maintaining social distance until the assistance is required. Our staff will wear a face covering while they assist you, but if you’re having difficulty hearing them or you need to lip read, they’ll remove it. If you need staff to push your wheelchair or handle your luggage, they’ll sanitise the handles first.

What you can do to help our staff giving you assistance

If you need sighted guiding, please sanitise your hands before making physical contact. We don’t expect you to wear gloves. Please wear a face covering, unless you’re exempt, and maintain a safe social distance until the member of staff is ready to help.

If possible, please pre-book your assistance to give us time to prepare.

We’re looking forward to welcoming you back.