The day deadly virus reduced Britain to one big ghost town
CORONAVIRUS: BRITAIN
David Pilditch
THE devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis is laid bare in these haunting images of ghost town Britain.
City centres lay deserted yesterday as millions ditched the commute at the start of the working week to stay at home instead.
It came as the nation moved on to a war footing as cases of the deadly virus continued to surge.
Mainline stations looked abandoned after the traditional morning rush hour was replaced by the arrival of near-empty trains.
In London, Euston and Waterloo stations were among those that saw a dramatic fall in passengers.
Some Underground train carriages, where workers are normally packed in like sardines, were completely empty.
Many employees who headed to work wore masks and took other protective measures.
City centres in Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cambridge were all eerily quiet, while major airports including Heathrow looked deserted.
Major roads and motorways usually clogged up with traffic were also empty.
Landmarks
The chilling scenes came as travel and workplace restrictions were put in place.
Popular landmarks and tourist attractions in London and elsewhere were also abandoned as visitors stayed away from large gatherings.
Businesses were also operating with skeleton staff.
Experts estimate nearly a third of the UK’s 32 million workforce has been affected, with working from home plans impacting up to 12 million families across the UK.
One commuter, Becky McElroy, 24, travelled from her home in Dartford, Kent, to London Bridge station.
The sales negotiator at an estate agent in east London said: “I’m one of nine people in my team and as far as I know everyone is due in this morning.
“They have provisions for us to work from home should we get to that situation.
“We now have antibacterial hand wipes in the office and posters have been put up warning us to wash our hands for 20 seconds. I think the bosses are monitoring the situation all the time.”
Major companies, including Deloitte and JP Morgan, have implemented contingency plans for staff, while many others are expected to follow the Government’s updated advice.
A number of major stores have also closed their doors, including Apple, Nike and fashion outlet Urban Outfitters.
As train services were decimated and the Government called for a stop to non-essential journeys last night, ministers warned there was no point running “ghost trains” with no commuters, with some services facing the axe.
Last week, there were nearly two million fewer passenger journeys on Britain’s railways and the
London Underground. Millions more workers are expected to stay at home, with the crisis expected to worsen over the coming weeks.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the number of train passengers had fallen by up to 20 per cent last week.
In London, where five million people travel on the Tube each day, journeys were also down by 19 per cent.
Mr Shapps said he would be meeting rail bosses this week to determine how to “sustain” services amid the growing crisis.
It is understood firms are in talks to renegotiate contracts while union leaders have also held talks with bosses over how to keep public transport operating.
Mr Shapps said: “People still need to be able to travel to an extent, and some of that is actually about how many trains are put on a line at any one time and the rest of it.”
Asked whether train companies could be freed from their franchise obligations, Mr Shapps said: “It’s quite clearly an exceptional international moment in time.
“We need to be flexible as a country to react to that, and I’ll be
driven by, among other things, the demand.
“There’s no point running ghost trains any more than in running ghost planes, but those are conversations which are ongoing.”
Transport for London, which has also seen a 10 per cent drop in bus passengers, said it will need financial support from the Government, and that its best case scenario is that the coronavirus outbreak will cost it £500million.
Simon Kilonback, TfL’s chief finance officer, said: “We manage our finances prudently, and have reduced our deficit hugely in recent years. This means that we can manage the impacts on our passenger numbers and finances that are currently envisaged.
“But, given the nature of the situation, we will be looking to the Government to provide appropriate financial support.
“We continue to follow and communicate Public Health England advice, including that there is no specific risk on public transport.
“We’ve also stepped up our cleaning regime from the already very high standards to give our customers and staff further reassurance.”