More trains and more freedom to come as lockdown rules are eased
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Mike Pearse
With lockdown easing next week more than 500 extra trains will run in the region from Sunday to cope with increased demand.
Network rail is reassuring passengers who may not have travelled for over a year that safety measures including sanitiser stations, one way systems, screens between ticket machines and the wearing of masks remains in place.
They’re also asking people to travel at less busy times to ensure social distancing.
John Halsall, Managing Director of Network Rail Southern says he's excited to be welcoming passengers back.
He says: "We've been running a service for 12 months but without hardly any passengers so this is an exciting moment for us.
"We understand that people will be a bit nervous because many of us have been in our homes for the last year. So as you walk around the stations you'll notice that they're a lot cleaner, trains are cleaner, there's hand sanitizer, pretty much everybody is wearing masks, so there is space available."
From Sunday:• South Western Railway - 250 extra daily services • GTR - 1,000 more trains a week • Southeastern and Chiltern - new timetables with more and longer trains• Great Western Railway - new timetable from next week with more trains running following many withdraw from service for safety checks
Measures at mainline stations include:• Sanitiser dispensers • One way systems to help social distancing • Screens between ticket machines • Stringent cleaning of stations of trains • Extra staff to help passengers
Meanwhile passengers using intercity GWR services through the Thames Valley are being warned that delays are likely to continue after cracks were found in trains.
The Hitachi class 800 fleet was withdrawn for safety tests after the cracks were discovered last week.
Although the cracks were not found to pose a safety risk, it will still take some time for the trains to return to service and a full timetable to resume.
Lockdown easing
Up to 30 people will be able to meet outdoors, attend weddings, funerals, receptions, christenings, bar mitzvahs and commemorative events such as wakes, or take part in indoor adult group sports and exercise classes.
Indoor hospitality with table service will also resume in cafés, pubs and restaurants and hotels, hostels and B&Bs will be allowed to reopen.
But the Director of Public Health in Southampton has warned that we will still need to be cautious as 'COVID-19 is still with us.