PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Govia Thameslink Railway: Coronavirus (19 January 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink on the safety of (a) train drivers and (b) railway staff during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.

Asked by:
Sarah Owen (Labour)

Department for Transport officials liaise with Govia Thameslink Railway on a frequent and regular basis to understand the measures they are putting in place regarding the safety of their staff.

In line with the January COVID-19 lockdown announcement, and guidance from Public Health England, Govia Thameslink Railway has implemented COVID-secure arrangements at all work places across their network. Measures include:

• Additional mess room facilities to enable social distancing
• The application of a sanitising agent (Zoono virucide) within the cab and saloon areas of trains
• Regular testing for secure ‘bubbles’ is provided where training within a cab is required
• All Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) employees were immediately stood down from work
• Staff rosters have been amended to reduce the number of frontline workers at stations, in line with the reduction in passenger numbers

Answered by:
Chris Heaton-Harris (Conservative)
25 January 2021