Brighton train transformed into Covid testing facility for staff
A train at Brighton station's been converted into a Covid testing centre.
Carriages on platform eight have been kitted out with protective screens and equipment to regularly check over a thousand rail workers.
It is being run by volunteers and Southern Rail hopes it will give passengers confidence to travel when they are no longer told to stay at home.
The hub is one of three set up by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), operator of Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.
It will offer staff twice-weekly rapid lateral flow tests.
Maintenance worker Natalie Parker says it will make a 'massive improvement'.
She said: "...not only for keeping all the railway staff tested and keeping them safe. It is also keeping the passengers safe. As the vaccines roll out, there are still those waiting to be vaccinated and it just gives people peace of mind."
The Prime Minister last weekend announced this initiative will be extended until the end of June.GTR Head of Safety and Health Mark Whitley said: “These tests are the latest in a long line of measures we’ve been taking to protect our colleagues and will help identify carriers before they have the potential to infect others.
"It will help prevent workplace outbreaks and, along with regular sanitising, give our staff and passengers added reassurance."