Rail services set to increase this month as lockdown measures are eased

It is understood that there will be an incremental increase in rail services from 18 May; with Rail unions in talks with the Department for Transport (DfT) looking for the safest way to get more trains up and running.

‘We want to help Britain return to what we knew as normal before the pandemic,’ says the head of the train drivers’ union.

In some parts of the country weekday services may resume running at up to 70 percent of their normal timetable, similar to a typical Saturday, reports suggest.

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Union leaders demanded that members’ safety be given top priority; with one saying lifting the lockdown was still “fraught” with risks to public health.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union Aslef said: “We want to help Britain return to what we knew as normal before the pandemic, and have agreed with the Department for Transport that we will increase the number of services when and where it is safe for passengers and for staff.”

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said he was still looking for assurances on passengers and rail workers’ safety.

“There is a headlong dash to lift the lockdown on our transport services for May 18 and it is fraught with danger for both passengers and staff alike,” he said.

Mr Cash warned his union would not agree to anything that faied to put the safety of staff and passengers first.

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“If that means advising our members not to work under conditions that are unsafe and in breach of the government’s own guidelines then that is exactly what we will do,” he said.

Boris Johnson received a joint letter from Aslef, RMT and TSSA, the three main rail unions, at the end of last week warning him that increasing services would send out a “mixed message” encouraging people to travel by train.

The head of one rail operator told the BBC last month that keeping people apart could reduce the capacity of each train by between 70 per cent and 90 per cent.

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A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are examining a range of options on how transport can respond to support the recovery in a timely way when the time comes and it is safe to do so. We continue to prepare for any scenario we might be asked to support.”

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, added: “When government decides the time is right, the railway will respond to support the nation during the next phase of the coronavirus response, as it has done throughout the lockdown.

“Our priority will continue to be the safety of our staff and passengers and we will work closely with government and unions to run trains safely while supporting the economy and the public’s health.”

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