Updated 12 May 2020
The latest Government advice asks the public to continue to work from home if they can.
If you do need to go to work, you should consider using alternative means of transport such as walking or cycling. If your only option is to use our services, this should be for essential journeys only.
Along with the rest of the rail industry, we will be providing a number of additional services from Monday (18 May) to support customers during the next phase of the coronavirus response.
If you are travelling with us, so here’s what you can do to keep our colleagues and your fellow passengers safe:
- Plan ahead - we are currently operating an amended timetable, so your journey time may be different than it was prior to the lockdown. We also may need to introduce queueing at some stations, particularly in busy periods, so you should try to travel at quieter times of the day. Train time information can still be found on our journey planning and live train times pages.
- Try and keep your distance – where possible you should maintain social distancing with our colleagues and your fellow passengers as best you can. We are introducing floor markings at our stations to encourage social distancing, however, it may not always be possible to maintain a 2-metre distance, such as when boarding and alighting our services.
- Follow Government advice on face coverings – the Government’s latest advice advises passengers to wear a face covering on public transport. You can find guidance from the Government on face coverings here
- Purchase your ticket online or use contactless – this will reduce the contact you will need to make with our staff when you are at the station. We are also only accepting card payments at our ticket office and ticket machines, we are not currently accepting cash payments.
- Wash your hands with soap and water - do this for at least 20 seconds and always wash your hands when you get home or into work. You may also want to carry hand sanitiser with you when travelling.
We’re also working hard to keep you, your fellow passengers, and our colleagues safe, and are:
- Continuing to pay particular attention to commonly touched surfaces such as ticket machines, grab handles, stair handrails and door buttons when cleaning our stations and trains
- Introducing floor markings at our stations to encourage social distancing.
- Encouraging good hand hygiene amongst our colleagues in line with Government advice.
- No longer accepting cash payments at our ticket machines and ticket offices.
Ticket Acceptance
If you have a ticket that is for a specific train operator this may be used on any service provided by any operator between the same start and end station, group or Zone.
Normal Peak/Off-Peak time restrictions will still apply.
Advance ticket holders will be permitted to travel on other operator’s services if the original booked service has been delayed or cancelled. Travel must still be on the same date.
London Underground and DLR services are currently not included in this acceptance.
Assistance and advice when travelling
If you are using our services:
- Guards will still be on our trains
- Colleagues will still be available at most stations
- Our Twitter team will be able to provide essential journey information
- We will update this page with the latest information
- Train time information can still be found on our journey planning and live train times pages
Please do not overload our Twitter team with non-urgent enquiries (e.g. regarding refunds), as doing so will reduce their ability to provide essential journey information to those that need to travel.
It is important that we keep everyone working or travelling on the railway safe at this time.
But if you do need help or see something that does not look right, please contact one of our guards, station teams, rail community officers or the British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040.
We all have a vital role in beating this pandemic. Please help us keep trains running for those who need them, and do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary.
Frequently asked questions
The latest Government advice asks public to continue to work from home if they can.
If you do need to go to work, you should consider using alternative means of transport such as walking or cycling. If you do need to use our services, this should be for essential journeys only, where another method of transport is not available.
We want to reiterate the government’s advice that there will be space for as little as a tenth of the usual number of people on the railway so people should only travel by train if absolutely necessary. Please help us, our people and those who need to travel by not making unnecessary journeys. If you do have to travel, plan ahead, consider others and stay safe.
We need your help because, while we will do everything we can to enable social distancing it may not be possible at all points throughout a journey, for example at particular pinch points. To stay safe, people should keep their distance as much as possible. People should also plan ahead, leave longer for their journey, travel at quieter times and use contactless or buy their ticket online.
We are still working with government to ensure that, as it has done over the last two months, the railway continues to support the national response to coronavirus.
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