A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES

As England’s commuters return to work, Scots roads and railways are eerily quiet

THE differences were stark as Scotland and England took different approaches to lockdown yesterday.

With Boris Johnson relaxing several restrictions south of the Border, there was evidence of people in England returning to some form of normality.

Public transport and streets there were noticeably busier after the Prime Minister encouraged those who cannot work from home to return to work. Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon eased only one rule – to let Scots to exercise outside more than once a day.

The streets in Hammersmith were busy as Londoners headed back to work yesterday morning.

In comparison, Edinburgh’s Royal Mile – a bustling hive of activity before lockdown – remained eerily quiet as Scots followed Miss Sturgeon’s advice to stay at home.

It was announced last month that the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the world’s biggest arts festival, will not take place for the first time in more than 70 years.

The Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Art Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival have also been cancelled.

One of clearest signs of the difference in lockdown approaches north and south of

the Border was on the two countries’ transport networks.

The Canary Wharf Station on London’s underground was packed with workers heading back to work.

Some Tube carriages were packed to capacity, with little evidence of social distancing or people wearing masks or gloves.

It came despite Mr Johnson warning people to avoid public transport.

In Glasgow, meanwhile, Cowcaddens underground station was extremely quiet, with services arriving and leaving with few passengers on board.

Meanwhile, a train arriving at the city’s Anderston station was all but empty as many workers either stayed at home or chose to travel by car to avoid close contact other people.

Roads north and south of the Border were also world’s apart. In England, drivers endured traffic levels not seen since before lockdown on the A102 in Greenwich, south-east London. Meanwhile, the M8 near Edinburgh – which in normal times is often gridlocked at busy times – had barely a car on it at rush hour, in yet another sign of the varying approaches taken by different parts of the UK.

What remains to be seen is how long it will be before Scotland sees similar scenes to those in England.

THE TUBE Close contact: Few people wore masks in this Canary Wharf service

LONDON Heading to work: Many people were on the streets in Hammersmith

Deserted: The normally bustling Royal Mile during the ‘rush hour’ EDINBURGH

GLASGOW Empty: Subway carriage without any passengers at Cowcaddens station

LONDON Snarled up: Drivers in the capital had to deal with rush-hour traffic

EDINBURGH Traffic-free: There were no morning jams on the M8 motorway

LONDON Morning commute: Underground rail passengers heading to work

GLASGOW Forlorn: Seats were easy to find aboard this carriage at Anderston