It is a difficult time for the industries that we work with, and for those that work in them. This page contains our current coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for the railway industry and a summary of our working arrangements currently.
Our guidance should be read in the light of the wider guidance from Government and Public Health England, in particular, these relevant links on:
This guide will help transport organizations in England understand how to provide safer workplaces and services for themselves, their workers and passengers. It outlines measures to assess and address the risks of coronavirus (COVID-19).
There’s different guidance for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Each organization will need to translate the principles and examples in this guidance into specific actions. Transport providers should remain mindful of their obligations under health and safety, equalities and employment legislation. Transport providers should try to co-ordinate their planning and actions with other providers.
The UK government has said that from 17 July anybody in England can now use public transport safely, while encouraging people to consider alternative means of transport where they are available. The Devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales have said people should only use public transport if there is no other options.
Some journeys may take longer due to social distancing measures, and you should try travelling off-peak if you can. Check your journey before you travel as train services have been reduced and may be subject to change
Buy tickets before travelling at ticket offices or purchase from ticket machines where possible.
Payment by contact less card is encouraged in all circumstances.
If you require assistance to travel you are not required to book ahead but are recommended to contact your train operator before travel to discuss your journey.
Train operators are contacting anyone with an existing booking to discuss how they can help with your journey.
You can claim a fee-free refund on all Advance tickets purchased before 7am on the 23rd of March. Check with your train operator or ticket retailer for further details and how to claim.
You can receive a refund on your season ticket but the administrative fee and refund calculation may remain unchanged. Season ticket refund calculations will be backdated to 17 March or the latest travel date, as long as passengers submit their claim within 56 days of 17 March. To see how much you could get back check the Season Ticket Refund Calculator. You can also get a refund for weekly or monthly season tickets which have recently expired. Check with your train operator or ticket retailer for further details and how to claim.
It is no longer necessary to visit a ticket office to get a refund. Systems are now in place to claim refunds remotely. Check your train operator website. All companies are processing a high volume of refund claims at this time and it may take longer than usual for responses. This applies to ticket refunds, claims for delay compensation and complaints.
If you are travelling with an open access operator or a concession operator such as Eurostar, Heathrow Express, Transport for London or Merseyrail - please check their websites for details. Hull Trains and Grand Central Trains have now suspended all train services but passengers can still request refunds via their websites.
To stay safe and protect others we must minimize the opportunity for Coronavirus (COVID-19) to spread from one person to another.
The current status of the epidemic in Scotland means that the changes in Phase 3 are being introduced in stages, rather than all at once.