Avoid using the train in Devon and Cornwall this Bank Holiday weekend, warns operator
Train operator GWR is reminding customers prior to the Bank Holiday weekend to avoid travelling by train, and to only use the services if really necessary, freeing up space for essential journeys.
Is your journey really necessary? asks GWR
Train operator GWR is reminding customers prior to the Bank Holiday weekend to avoid travelling by train, and to only use the services if really necessary, freeing up space for essential journeys.Social distancing guidance means that seats have been blocked off and trains can only carry about a tenth of the usual number of passengers. This significantly reduces the number of people who can safely travel on a service.
To allow people who have to travel the best opportunity to do so safely, GWR is asking customers to consider if their journey is really necessary and to not use trains for leisure purposes or for their daily exercise.
GWR Interim Managing Director Matthew Golton said:
“With social distancing guidance in place we are able to carry as little as a tenth of the usual number of passengers, and customers are not yet able to use trains as freely as they once did.
“We are doing everything we can to carry as many people, safely, as we can. This will make sure that those who absolutely need to travel by train can do so. But I must ask you, is your journey really necessary?”
The company is doing everything it can to enable social distancing to be adhered at stations and on board but warns that it may not be possible at all points throughout a journey.
Despite the train operator increasing the number of services in accordance with the Government’s easement strategy, even if GWR was to return to their pre-lockdown timetable, only a fraction of travellers would be able to safely socially distance once on board.
Notes to editors
Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.
We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.