Limited free masks for railway passengers

JUDITH TONNER

Free face masks are being made available to passengers at the Airdrie railway station ticket office for a limited period, after their use on trains and in stations was made mandatory.

Nicola Sturgeon announced last month that face coverings are now compulsory on all public transport, as she revealed Scotland’s move into phase two of easing coronavirus restrictions.

Masks will be required on all trains, buses and taxis – and ScotRail said: “If your journey is essential, so is covering your face.”

The train operator says it will be providing free masks “for a limited period ... to support customers [and] help people get used to the new normal for rail travel” at 16 stations including Airdrie, plus Queen Street, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket.

ScotRail operations director David Simpson said: “The position on face coverings is now absolutely clear and we are urging customers to take collective responsibility and follow the Scottish Government guidance on their mandatory use.

“We are doing everything we can to help customers get used to the changes in rail travel and that’s why, for a limited time, we will be providing face masks at all major stations.”

However, he added: “Scotland’s railway can’t guarantee physical distancing at all stages of a customer’s journey.

“The message remains the same as it has been since the start of the pandemic – only travel if your journey is essential and follow our five rules for safer travel.

“It will help to keep you, your fellow customers and our staff safe.”

ScotRail’s five rules are not to travel if you feel unwell or have a temperature; to travel outside the rush hours of 7am to 9am and 4pm to 6.30pm; to wear a face mask or covering and maintain physical distancing; to be patient as most seats must now be left empty so you may not be able to board a first-choice service; and for passengers not to board trains if they feel it would be unsafe.

Information from the the train operator notes that “the earliest and latest trains serve key workers, like NHS and care home staff”; and that “customers can expect an increase in the time it takes to buy a ticket at a station and board a train”.

The First Minister announced that face masks would become compulsory on public transport for all passengers except children under five, people with breathing difficulties, and anyone with a physical condition which makes it difficult to keep a mask in place.

She said in her Holyrood statement : “Face coverings can help to reduce the risk of transmission.

“We believe that that measure will be increasingly important as the use of public transport increases, and that implementing it now will help to reduce the risks of transmission and build public confidence.

“We have for several weeks recommended that people should wear face coverings in enclosed spaces in which physical distancing might not always be possible, such as on public transport and in shops, because of the evidence that [they] can reduce the risk of the virus being transmitted.

“If you have Covid but maybe do not realise it because you do not have symptoms, a face covering reduces the risk of your passing the virus on to others; and other people’s wearing of face coverings helps to protect you in a similar way.”