West Midlands Railway passengers slump during coronavirus outbreak
The number of people using trains across the region has fallen as the impact of the coronavirus outbreak starts to affect all aspects of everyday life.
West Midlands Railway, which operates routes throughout the region, has confirmed it is seeing a drop in the number of people travelling.
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said: “Our primary focus during this outbreak is to keep our passengers and people safe and to keep the West Midlands moving.
“Although the government has not advised people to avoid public transport unless they are showing symptoms of coronavirus, like all operators we are seeing fewer people choosing to travel. We are monitoring the situation and will keep our passengers fully up to date with the latest developments."
Mr Wiseman said that they were also re-iterating advice for people to follow health guidance on hand washing and hygiene.
He said: “The most important thing is for our passengers to support our efforts by following public health advice for everyone to wash their hands regularly and to ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ when they cough or sneeze.”
It comes as a number of pictures have appeared on social media showing some of the country's busiest railway stations and routes with considerably fewer passengers than normal.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the number of train passengers had fallen by a fifth over the last week.
He said: "The railways have definitely seen a big drop off ... last week by about 18-20 per cent in the number of passengers and we're working with them closely."
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said it had not yet made changes to guidance, but would do so if Public Health England changed its advice.
He said: “The rail industry is monitoring the latest Public Health England guidelines closely and working together on preparations which include planning for a range of different scenarios. At the same time, we are enhancing our cleaning in stations and on trains and ensuring that rail staff and passengers are kept aware of the latest advice to maintain good hand hygiene and keep surfaces clean.”
