West Midlands Railway to keep trains running during enhanced restrictions

West Midlands Railway is reassuring passengers it will continue to run train services for those who need them during the enhanced government restrictions in place across England.

For four weeks, starting tomorrow (Thu 5 Nov), unnecessary travel is being discouraged as part of a range of measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The government has made clear the railway remains open for those travelling to school, some workplaces or making other necessary journeys.

In order to keep passengers moving, WMR has pledged to continue running its advertised timetable throughout this period of restrictions. With the possibility of Covid-19 impacting on the availability of train crew at short notice, passengers are urged to check their journeys before travelling.

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “Throughout the pandemic we have played our part in the country’s response by keeping train services running for those who need them.

“We would like to reassure our customers that this will continue throughout this period of new restrictions and we will continue running our advertised timetable for those who need to travel.

“Our staff are not immune from Covid-19 and so I would urge passengers to check their journeys before setting out for the station in case of any unavoidable short-notice cancellations.”

The government travel advice during the period of enhanced restrictions, which can be found here, states that people ‘can and should’ still travel for important journeys, which include:

• Travelling to work when you cannot work from home
• Travelling to education or for caring responsibilities
• Attending hospital, GP or other medical appointments
• Visiting venues permitted to remain open, such as essential retail
• Exercising if you need to make a short journey to do so

Passengers can check live travel information at www.wmr.uk/plan or follow @WestMidRailway on Twitter. Customers are also being reminded that wearing a face covering on board trains remains mandatory, unless exempt on medical grounds.