50 GWR staff in Devon and Cornwall self-isolating after Covid outbreak
It means some services over Christmas have been cancelled
Around 50 members of Great Western Railway staff in Devon and Cornwall are having to self-isolate after 'a number of traincrew' tested positive for Covid-19.
Bosses say there has been a significant number of positive cases of coronavirus at GWR depots in the South West and some Christmas services have had to be cancelled.
50 staff is around 10% of operational staff Train Managers/Drivers/Customer Hosts/Engineering in Devon and Cornwall, or 2.5% across all GWR operational staff.
GWR has already had to amend services in the past few days and expects this to continue into next week. With more people travelling over the Christmas period, services are already expected to be close to capacity, allowing for social distance guidelines to be followed.
Cancellations
Bosses are expecting to have to cancel and change a number of services during the festive travel window and will be using a revised timetable which will give customers greater clarity about which services will be operating in advance.
GWR will be contacting customers who have booked onto affected trains in the coming days to help make alternative arrangements. Customers can choose to travel on a different train, or claim a refund if they no longer wish to travel.
With fewer colleagues to run trains, they have implemented a standard contingency plan, moving resources from other GWR routes and adding alternative road transport at key locations, and running an amended timetable to help make sure that those who have already booked to travel can continue to do so.
Other train operators continue to provide services, although these are expected to be busy too. You may also be able to make your journey by coach. National Express, Megabus and Snap are putting on extra services during the travel window.
“Due to the impact of COVID at some of our locations in the south west we have taken these steps now to help make sure everyone who has already bought a ticket will still be able to travel, as we take stock of our ability to accommodate additional customers.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience this will bring to anyone travelling over this period who has not currently booked a ticket, but we are doing all we can to ensure that we provide a robust service for those that are already booked to travel with us.”
Great Western Railway Managing Director, Matthew Golton
Online timetables are currently being updated to reflect the latest situation. Customers are strongly advised to check their journey before travelling at gwr.com/check.
GWR has been providing rail services throughout the pandemic and has worked to ensure that these are as safe as possible. This includes increased cleaning regimes and the use of a virucidal spray; extra staff at key stations to offer help and guidance; and processes in place to help customers maintain a safe distance where possible, such as restricting the number of reservations available.