British rail services will be gradually reduced from next Monday as demand drops away during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had agreed with rail operators across the country to scale back timetables next week as people change their travel habits to help stop Covid-19 spreading.
Core services will continue to run to help people attend medical appointments and allow emergency services and NHS staff get to work.
Tube disruption continues today with 17 stations shut down as of 9.30am.
The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the public’s travel patterns has seen demand for rail travel decline by up to 69% on some routes, the DfT said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the action was being taken to protect the public from the spread of the deadly coronavirus – while still ‘ensuring keyworker heroes can get to their jobs to keep this nation running’.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had agreed with rail operators across the country to scale back timetables next week as people change their travel habits to help stop Covid-19 spreading
Running reduced services will also help protect the welfare of frontline railway staff, the DfT said (file image)
It comes after furious commuters unable to work from home – including those in ‘critical’ industries such as healthcare and the grocery sector – were forced to stand cheek by jowl on trains that were still running in an obvious infringement of guidelines to stand six feet apart.
Further reductions in Tube, Overground, bus and DLR services in London will begin on Monday, with the remaining ones intended for critical workers only.
Buses in the capital will be reduced and people are being urged ‘not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys’.
Today’s announcement of the joint move from the Government and rail industry will also enable freight services to continue.
It follows speculation in the industry that a number of train operators are on the verge of being brought under Government control due to plummeting passenger numbers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps suggested to MPs on Tuesday that rail companies, as well as bus firms and airlines, could be temporarily nationalised to help them through the coronavirus outbreak.
Running reduced services will also help protect the welfare of frontline railway staff, the DfT said.
Changes to timetables will be kept under review, with there being a gradual move to widespread service reductions in the longer term.
To minimise disruption, services will be progressively cut back over the coming days, the DfT said.
Passengers walking down to the Tube lines at London Bridge Station yesterday as many Londoners continued to have to go into work
Many London Underground Transport for London said it will close up to 40 London Underground stations until further notice while the Night Tube, which normally operates on Friday and Saturday nights, has been suspended
Mr Shapps said the action was being taken to ‘protect the public’ while still ‘ensuring keyworker heroes can get to their jobs to keep this nation running’.
‘For passengers in crucial roles, including essential workers in our emergency services and NHS, alongside people who need to attend medical appointments or care for loved ones, these changes protect the services they rely on,’ he added.
Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said the measures would ‘preserve services so that we can continue to get key workers to where they need to be, deliver food to supermarkets and get fuel to power stations’.
He added: ‘This is not a decision we take lightly, however implementing these measures now will mean that we can continue to operate trains over a prolonged period with fewer railway workers, who like so many others are to be commended for putting the needs of the country first, and whose safety remains front of mind.’
Passengers are advised to check the National Rail Enquiries website before they travel, he said.
Similar reduction measures have been agreed by the Scottish and Welsh Governments.
ScotRail said changes to the timetable were necessary as availability of its staff as well as those at Network Rail Scotland have been affected, while there have been changes to customer demand.
It said that reducing the number of trains in service will give more time for extra cleaning on trains and in depots, as well as more targeted cleaning at stations.
The Scottish Government said the decision to reduce services has been taken to protect services for essential workers and allow vital freight trains to continue to operate.
It said the changes will be similar to a Sunday service with some additional first and late last trains for key staff, while off peak passenger services may be reduced further depending on demand
Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: ‘Constructive dialogue has been held with rail unions with discussion focused on protecting rail staff while they make a significant contribution to keeping passengers and goods moving as much as possible in these challenging circumstances.’
Ken Skates, Welsh Government Minister for Economy and Transport, said: ‘This action aims to balance the current significantly reduced levels of passenger demand as people follow the guidelines to socially isolate with the need to reduce the number of people required to run the network.’
A busy Green Park station in London this morning (left) as passengers were forced to cram into carriages (right) after services were cut
Workers took to Twitter to accuse TfL of ‘risking lives’, while the Mayor in turn criticised Londoners who were ignoring rules on social distancing and still travelling around the city (pictured above: the Victoria line)
The announcement comes after public transport operators already started slashing services due to the coronavirus.
Train, coach and bus frequencies are being cut amid the collapse in demand and Government advice on avoiding non-essential travel.
Northern Trains, South Western Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway and Great Western Railway said they were suspending or cancelling some services due to staff illness or to protect customers and employees.
Transport for London said it will close up to 40 London Underground stations until further notice while the Night Tube, which normally operates on Friday and Saturday nights, has been suspended.
On Thursday commuters on packed Tube trains slammed Transport for London after Sadiq Khan prepared to close up to 40 stations.
London Underground shut nine stations yesterday morning, with a further 31 announced as the Mayor urged people not to travel ‘by any means, unless they really, really have to’.
But with thousands of commuters unable to work from home still needing to travel, including those in ‘critical’ industries such as healthcare and the grocery sector, many were forced to stand cheek by jowl on trains that are still running in an obvious infringement of guidelines to stand six feet apart.
Commuters on the Central Line Thursday morning, which was less busy than normal for a morning commute but still too busy for passengers to abide by social distancing guidelines
Workers took to Twitter to accuse TfL of ‘risking lives’, while the Mayor in turn criticised Londoners who were ignoring rules on social distancing and still travelling around the city.
‘I can’t say this clearly enough: people should not be travelling by any means unless they absolutely must,’ he said. The scientific advice on this is very clear: Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary and this includes avoiding using the transport network.
‘I want to see more Londoners following the expert advice, which means it’s critical that we see far fewer Londoners using our transport network than is currently the case.’
It came as No10 confirmed London will not be cut off from the rest of the country despite facing a tougher lockdown within days amid fears it is driving the UK’s coronavirus outbreak. Downing Street insisted there is ‘zero’ prospect’ of trains in and out of the capital being axed, and there are ‘no plans’ to shut down the whole Tube system.
TfL said it would continue to run some services to ensure critical workers could still do their jobs while continuing to encourage others not to go on public transport. Further reductions in Tube, Overground, bus and DLR services will begin on Monday, with the remaining ones intended for critical workers only.
Stations which do not interchange with other lines will close from today, while the Waterloo and City line and Night Tube services stopping from Friday.
By midday yesterday nine London stations were closed: Arsenal, Barbican, Borough, Bounds Green, Bow Road, Covent Garden, Goodge Street, Hampstead and Manor House.
TfL said it would decide the other closures later that day and urged passengers to check before travelling.
Pictured are passengers on the Northern Line on Thursday as the coronavirus crisis continues
Britons have been told to stand at least six feet away from each other to slow the spread of coronavirus, but busy Tubes meant it was impossible for these passengers to follow the guidelines
TfL said it would also be gradually reducing the frequency of services across the network from Monday, ‘to provide a service for critical workers to get to where they need to – ensuring that remaining services are not overcrowded’.
London Overground, TfL Rail, the DLR and London Trams will also be running fewer services from next week.
Officials will gradually reduce the frequency of other services across the London network to provide travel for critical workers, with Tube trains every 4 minutes in Zone 1, but a possibility that this will reduce further.
Transport Commissioner Mike Brown said: ‘The advice from Government is clear – people should now only be making journeys that are absolutely essential. We and our staff are doing everything we can to ensure that people who need to make essential journeys can continue to do so.’
Passengers are being urged to check their journey on the Transport for London site before they travel.
A passenger walks back up the stairs from the locked entrance of the closed Manor House station in London on Thursday
It comes after angry commuters urged TfL to increase the number of Underground trains during rush hour as up to two million Britons continued to travel in and out of the capital during the coronavirus outbreak.
Travellers said they were still being packed in on rush hour services amid concerns over a lack of solid Government advice on travelling during the coronavirus outbreak, as TfL confirmed it was ‘matching service levels to the actual demand for travel’.
Confusion over ministers’ position on pubs and cafes staying open – and what the guidance on avoiding ‘non-essential travel’ means – left many employees continuing to make journeys, desperate to maintain an income.
While rush hour passenger numbers in London have remained high, leisure travel has plummeted following Government advice to avoid social sites and gatherings.
Blue collar and gig economy workers are particularly fearful about the future as transport bosses began scaling back services amid lower demand, with many office workers following Boris Johnson’s advice to work from home.
Among those calling on TfL to reinstate services was Sue Tuke, who tweeted earlier this week: ‘Currently stood at Victoria station with about 100 people stood on the platform. Transport for London, stop cutting Tube services – it’s a virus breeding ground.’
A sign at Bow Road station Thursday morning informing passengers it was closed
Another said TfL had ‘successfully caused more crowding on every train I’ve been on today which just increases infection risk’ – while others claimed they should not be paying peak prices for an essentially off-peak service.
Tube passenger numbers are expected to plunge further after the Government advised against non-essential travel on Monday, having dropped by a fifth last week.
Up to two million people were estimated to be still going to work in London in jobs in sectors including retail, cafes and the emergency services, according to cloud-based business telephone service CircleLoop.
Meanwhile Tube workers voiced concern about exposure to the virus, despite sources suggesting passenger numbers have reduced by half in the past few days. There is speculation that a number of Underground stations will close, with priority given to those near hospitals and police stations.
It comes as National Express said it is running reduced coach services in a similar way to how it operates on Christmas Day, due to the drop in demand caused by the coronavirus.
This has the effect of removing up to 80% of capacity.