Free face coverings and hand gel will help safely welcome Greater Anglia commuters

July 3, 2020

Greater Anglia is gearing up to safely welcome back commuters, installing hand sanitiser dispensers at its 20 busiest stations, as it increases its timetable from 6 July in line with more businesses reopening.

Although government guidance is still only to travel if necessary, with an anticipated increase in travellers, the operator is taking this additional step to help keep passengers safe. And to help those who are still getting used to the new rules, face coverings will be available on request at all staffed stations for anyone who may have forgotten to bring one with them between 6-8 July.

Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia Managing Director, said: “We’re pleased to be able to re-introduce most timetabled services from Monday 6 July to help people maintain social distancing on board if passenger numbers increase.

“We have measures in place to protect staff and passengers such as enhanced cleaning, social distancing markings at stations and free hand sanitiser available at major stations.

“However, at this stage, we are still asking customers only to travel by train where necessary.

“Please help us to keep everyone as safe as possible by wearing a face covering on our stations and trains, using the hand gel dispensers and following guidelines and instructions for social distancing.”

It is now mandatory for customers to wear a face covering when using public transport, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Children under the age of 11 and people with a disability or illness which means they cannot wear a face covering are exempt from wearing them.

The rail industry, including Greater Anglia, is launching a “safer travel pledge” outlining the actions rail companies are taking to keep customers safe, and four things passengers can do to help: travelling at quieter times, hand washing, wearing a face covering and check before you travel.

Greater Anglia has introduced a wide range of measures to make it easier for customers to maintain social distancing at stations and on trains – including floor markings, one-way systems, new signs and queuing systems. People are advised to spend as little time at stations as possible – buying tickets online or via the Greater Anglia app or using contactless payment at vending machines if they have to buy tickets at the station. Customers should use the whole length of the platforms and trains, to ensure they are as spread-out as possible, and stand back to let people off the train before boarding. People are asked to try and travel outside the busiest times – details of the busiest trains are available online. Passengers should remain in their seat until they reach their destination, rather than walking down to the front of the train.

Greater Anglia has stepped up cleaning on stations and trains, concentrating on high-touch areas such as push buttons, grab rails and door handles.

Full details of all train times are available on the Greater Anglia website.

All ticket office hours will return to normal from the week commencing Sunday 5 July except for Newport, which will open from 6.30-9.30am Monday to Friday only.

Hand sanitiser dispensers will be available at Billericay, Bishop’s Stortford, Broxbourne, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Colchester North, Ely, Harlow Town, Ipswich, Manningtree, Norwich, Rayleigh, Shenfield, Southend Victoria, Stansted Airport, Tottenham Hale, Ware, Wickford and Witham.