Why you'll need a face covering as much as a ticket to travel on Northampton's trains from Monday

Train bosses are warning Northampton's essential rail passengers they will need a face covering as much as a ticket to travel from Monday (June 15).

Anybody on board without some sort of face mask risks being refused travel or issued with a penalty fare under new Government measures which kicks in next week.

London Northwestern Railway, which operates services between London and Birmingham via Northampton, is still asking customers to only use trains as a last resort while the country is still battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

But for those who have no choice, customer experience director Lawrence Bowman said: “Covering your face while on board is now as much a part of travelling by train as buying a ticket.

"Wearing a face covering helps prevent the spread of coronavirus and reduces the risk for everybody.

“We know the idea of wearing a face covering will be new to many of our passengers but we are sure that after the first few journeys it will start to become second nature.

“We are appealing to our customers to avoid the train if they can and — if they do travel — to follow the rules by covering their mouth and nose.”

As well as wearing a face covering, London Northwestern Railway is urging passengers to buy their tickets online, wash their hands before and after travelling and to respect social distancing whenever possible.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the move on June 4 saying: "This doesn’t mean surgical masks, which we must keep for clinical settings. It means the kind of face covering you can easily make at home.

"With more people using transport, the evidence suggests that wearing a face covering offers some – albeit limited – protection against the spread of the virus.

"There’ll be exceptions to the rule for very young children, disabled people and those with breathing difficulties.

"We’ll make these rules changes under the National Rail Conditions of Travel and the Public Service Vehicle Regulations for buses. This will mean you can be refused travel if you don’t comply and could be fined."

British Transport Police will travel on trains and engage with passengers over the new regulations.

BTP Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan said: “I’m confident that the public will act responsibly and comply with the requirement to wear face coverings on the rail network as we all try to control the spread of the virus.

"I reiterate that everyone should avoid public transport if at all possible. For those who do need to travel, our officers will continue to patrol the rail network and help keep passengers and rail staff safe. Our policing approach will remain the same: Engaging with the public and encouraging them to follow the rules of the railway.”