S&C railtour
LOCOMOTIVE Services Limited has provided further details to
RAIL about the steps it is taking to ensure its charters can run safely during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking exclusively to RAIL on board Saphos Trains’ first charter, July 15’s ‘Fellsman’ from Crewe to Carlisle and return, LSL Service Delivery Manager Steve Finn dismissed claims that by not requiring passengers to wear coverings on its charters the Crewe-based company is flouting Government guidance regarding face coverings on trains.
“If there was any way we were breaking Government guidelines we wouldn’t be operating. We’re not the sort of company to do that, and I don’t think you would risk your operations by letting all the world see that you’re breaking the Government guidelines,” Finn told RAIl.
He added that the company’s procedures have been approved by the Office of Rail and Road: “Every bit of paperwork we’ve produced - we have a quality management procedure for returning to work - Karen Barnes [HM Inspector of Railways] has a copy of and she is happy with what we’re doing.
“When we send out the tickets, we can ask passengers to use specific doors. And we can actually ask the passengers to socially distance while onboard because of the reduced capacity. We also ask passengers to wear masks on the stations and when boarding the train.”
Finn added that LSL is employing cleaners to disinfect the carriages on a regular basis, and revealed the company has purchased three machines which turn oxygen into ozone “so we can kill every germ. We are doing everything we can to protect ourselves and our passengers.”
He also raised a tantalising prospect for future rail tours on the West Coast Main Line involving the company’s newly acquired Class 87 and Mk 3 carriages, which have been repainted into InterCity livery.
There is no timescale for the first public run. LSL is currently concentrating its efforts on restarting its tour programmes, which had to be suspended for four months owing to the outbreak of COVID-19.