Getting people back on trains as lockdown eases.

[Ianno87]

A question for people who are travelling without face coverings (due to a genuine reason for exemption) - are there actually any "obsessive" people challenging you, or is that just made up in certain peoples' imaginations?

I only say this, because the few times I've travelled lately (nor at any point since masks became required), those without masks haven't been challenged by anybody that I've witnessed.

 

[bengley]

I've had no issues at all on public transport other than politely being asked once at Wigan NW

 

[MikeWM]

A question for people who are travelling without face coverings (due to a genuine reason for exemption) - are there actually any "obsessive" people challenging you, or is that just made up in certain peoples' imaginations?

Once by a guy on the Tube late last year (I think I mentioned it at the time) but he didn't achieve much

Otherwise, no. People don't seem especially bothered. Admittedly I've not had to sit next to someone on a busy train yet, which I suppose may be more interesting.

I briefly thought I was going to be asked yesterday by a guard on a GA service, but it turned out he wanted to check my ticket instead - first time I've had an on-board ticket check in over a year.

As for whether travel is picking up : Ely/Cambridge-London and back on Saturday was by far the busiest I've seen in the past year. Still well below normal, but given we are without the usual number of students and tourists then the number of passengers seemed pretty healthy. London was busy. Loadings on the Underground seemed lower than 'normal' but not by a vast amount.

 

[bramling]

A question for people who are travelling without face coverings (due to a genuine reason for exemption) - are there actually any "obsessive" people challenging you, or is that just made up in certain peoples' imaginations?

I only say this, because the few times I've travelled lately (nor at any point since masks became required), those without masks haven't been challenged by anybody that I've witnessed.

It isn't commonplace (though dirty looks certainly are), but equally it's not by any means unknown. I've had it about five times since last June, one of which was a hysterical member of staff literally shrieking her head off "you shouldn't be on the property without a mask, it's completely illegal and the police will arrest you". The latter was duly taken up with the operator concerned who agreed her conduct was both incorrect and unacceptable.

More to the point, my place was certainly getting issues of conflict between passengers over masks, though this does seem to have died down of late. At one point it wasn't uncommon for handles to be being pulled over someone in a carriage without a mask. So, no, not imagination sadly. We did have a mass brawl which caused a 20-minute delay which seemed to start over masks, though I think that one was more related to the effects of the curfew (remember that?!).

 

[Jamiescott1]

I sarcastically commented to chilterm railways that they should stop encouraging social distancing as people won't sit next to strangers, so you get lots of awkward people standing when 50% of the seats on the train are free.
They replied that they're following government guidelines

 

[bengley]

I sarcastically commented to chilterm railways that they should stop encouraging social distancing as people won't sit next to strangers, so you get lots of awkward people standing when 50% of the seats on the train are free.
They replied that they're following government guidelines

Have Chiltern still got those stupid blue bands on half the seats?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Have Chiltern still got those stupid blue bands on half the seats?

They were still there today, but about half the passengers were ignoring them anyway and those staff who did walk through were not enforcing them.

 

[bengley]

They were still there today, but about half the passengers were ignoring them anyway and those staff who did walk through were not enforcing them.

Quite right too, they're a daft idea. People will sit apart naturally if they feel the need to.

 

[Bikeman78]

I sarcastically commented to chilterm railways that they should stop encouraging social distancing as people won't sit next to strangers, so you get lots of awkward people standing when 50% of the seats on the train are free.
They replied that they're following government guidelines

Didn't you know that Covid only spreads when you're sitting down? On a full train recently, a mother and daughter got on and stood in the vestibule with four other people. I was in a four bay opposite another bloke so I moved across and invited them to sit down which they did.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Looks like at least in South Wales getting people back on trains won't be a problem at all. Seeing quite a few complaints about busy trains on social media at the moment, not that surprising given the timetable is still cut down to the one hourly service for the heads of the valleys (compared to the regular half hourly service - which itself isn't enough at the busy times).

 

[Bikeman78]

Looks like at least in South Wales getting people back on trains won't be a problem at all. Seeing quite a few complaints about busy trains on social media at the moment, not that surprising given the timetable is still cut down to the one hourly service for the heads of the valleys (compared to the regular half hourly service - which itself isn't enough at the busy times).

Very little chance of the service going back to the old frequencies until new trains arrive. There won't be enough units. Also the dwell times would need squeezing down again. Currently everything has at least four minutes at Cardiff Central.

 

[Bishopstone]

Greater Anglia continue to tweet ‘Minimise travel and avoid unnecessary journeys!‘ every 2 hours. They also appear to be suffering from a high number of unit failures and short formations: is there a link?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Dept of Transport weekly transport use out this morning and has data upto Monday of this week. National Rail is at 38% on provisional information and most weeks it tips a few % so next weeks update will have it over 40%. Coming back but guess we won't see true level until early summer when restrictions on working at a place of work are relaxed.

 

[island]

A question for people who are travelling without face coverings (due to a genuine reason for exemption) - are there actually any "obsessive" people challenging you, or is that just made up in certain peoples' imaginations?

I only say this, because the few times I've travelled lately (nor at any point since masks became required), those without masks haven't been challenged by anybody that I've witnessed.

I have been challenged a number of times by GWR platform staff for not wearing a face covering. My reason for not wearing one (that the platforms were outdoors) was not well-taken.

More generally, if they want to get people back onto trains they need to drop the mask rule. Simple.

 

[Bikeman78]

I have been challenged a number of times by GWR platform staff for not wearing a face covering. My reason for not wearing one (that the platforms were outdoors) was not well-taken.

More generally, if they want to get people back onto trains they need to drop the mask rule. Simple.

I don't wear a mask on platforms. There is no legal requirement to wear them outside. I've never had any hassle.

 

[P Binnersley]

West Midlands Railway Signs have appeared on Lampposts at Droitwich station saying "Hello You" and "Good to see you".

Not sure if this extends to other WMR stations but it is very encouraging (and the train was well used for mid-afternoon).

 

[westv]

I don't wear a mask on platforms. There is no legal requirement to wear them outside. I've never had any hassle.

Aren't the TOCs able to make up their own rules?

 

[yorksrob]

Aren't the TOCs able to make up their own rules?

They do seem to.

Northern Rail has a habit of playing recorded announcements at remote and windswept platforms "reminding" people that they're compulsory at stations.

 

[Horizon22]

Dept of Transport weekly transport use out this morning and has data upto Monday of this week. National Rail is at 38% on provisional information and most weeks it tips a few % so next weeks update will have it over 40%. Coming back but guess we won't see true level until early summer when restrictions on working at a place of work are relaxed.

It's interesting because a lot of people are happy to see people back (as am I) but all the comments on here and the "how busy are your trains thread" are generally about off-peak travel. I haven't detected a notable uplift in commuter traffic which was obviously the big chunk of the day. As you say we'll see over the rest of this year what % of the original this forms and whether the railway can get to grips with the demand changes.

 

[yorksrob]

It's interesting because a lot of people are happy to see people back (as am I) but all the comments on here and the "how busy are your trains thread" are generally about off-peak travel. I haven't detected a notable uplift in commuter traffic which was obviously the big chunk of the day. As you say we'll see over the rest of this year what % of the original this forms and whether the railway can get to grips with the demand changes.

People are still being requested to work from home where they can, so not surprising really.

 

[Horizon22]

People are still being requested to work from home where they can, so not surprising really.

Indeed, so may be several months (if not 2022 for a realistic level) until we know how demand will settle.

 

[greyman42]

More generally, if they want to get people back onto trains they need to drop the mask rule. Simple.

This is very true. If people have to wear awful masks on trains then many of them will simply choose their car as a more pleasant way to travel.
Also, if people shelled out considerable amounts of money during the lockdowns to buy cars, then they are going to carry on using them where possible as opposed to buying train tickets.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

This is very true. If people have to wear awful masks on trains then many of them will simply choose their car as a more pleasant way to travel.
Also, if people shelled out considerable amounts of money during the lockdowns to buy cars, then they are going to carry on using them where possible as opposed to buying train tickets.

Had to change at E.Croydon around 1800 and witnessed plenty of people get off a couple of ex London trains and would judge better than 50% of normal peak. Less the smart dressed office types more construction workers and support staff (doing real jobs that can't be done from home) which is to be expected with wfh still the mantra for most office centric businesses.

 

[GodAtum]

A question for people who are travelling without face coverings (due to a genuine reason for exemption) - are there actually any "obsessive" people challenging you, or is that just made up in certain peoples' imaginations?

I only say this, because the few times I've travelled lately (nor at any point since masks became required), those without masks haven't been challenged by anybody that I've witnessed.

Yes I have so just moved to a different carriage.

I've just saw the results of GTR's passengers survey. An interesting result is that only 2% intend to purchase a season ticket when they return (from 42% who previously held one).

 

[westv]

Less the smart dressed office types more construction workers and support staff (doing real jobs that can't be done from home) which is to be expected with wfh still the mantra for most office centric businesses.

Can we please drop this nonsense that people working from home aren't doing "real jobs".

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Can we please drop this nonsense that people working from home aren't doing "real jobs".

OK not real but jobs that require them to be in place other than their home to do the job

 

[philosopher]

Yes I have so just moved to a different carriage.

I've just saw the results of GTR's passengers survey. An interesting result is that only 2% intend to purchase a season ticket when they return (from 42% who previously held one).

Is this survey a survey of all GTR passengers? If it is I am surprised it is that low as I would have thought much more than 2% of those who had season tickets would be working full time in jobs that require them to be on site such as doctors, construction workers and retail staff.

Assuming that 2% figure is correct then it suggests commuting by rail is far too heavily orientated towards white collar workers.

 

[johnnychips]

The 0655 from Sheffield to Hull was very late today. It has noticeably got much busier over the last two weeks, but not to the extent that you had to sit next to anyone on the two-car 158. So everybody had to get the 0709 TPE. Platform two looked very crowded, but as the train approached I noticed it was a six-car 185 and moved to the back of the platform. I had a carriage with about six people in it - I wonder what it was like in the front train?

 

[yorksrob]

The 0655 from Sheffield to Hull was very late today. It has noticeably got much busier over the last two weeks, but not to the extent that you had to sit next to anyone on the two-car 158. So everybody had to get the 0709 TPE. Platform two looked very crowded, but as the train approached I noticed it was a six-car 185 and moved to the back of the platform. I had a carriage with about six people in it - I wonder what it was like in the front train?

Yes, I've used these services a few times. Definitely worth getting the back unit.

 

[johnnychips]

You are right @yorksrob. The six-car 185s were only introduced just before the pandemic, and I don’t think people are used to them yet. I was the only person in coach 5 of the 1842 from Donny to Manchester today, yet people were crowding into the front. Of course, connecting passages (I can’t think of a way to put this better) from one train to another would help, but that’s another discussion!