Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the rate of covid-19 transmission on trains where social distancing is (a) maintained and (b) not possible; and what steps he is taking to reduce the risk of covid-19 transmission to staff and passengers.

The Department is collaborating across the UK’s research and innovation community, including with the Rail Safety and Standards Board, to build and assess a broad base of evidence to better understand transmission and interventions that help reduce transmission risk. This includes working with SAGE, industry and academia on the Transport Risk Assessment for COVID Knowledge (TRACK) project. This is an 18-month, £2 million UK Research and Innovation-funded project designed to address critical knowledge gaps around transmission of COVID19 on public transport, including on rail. Outputs from this project will continue to help inform decisions and practices for mitigating risk of transmission in public transport.

We have issued comprehensive guidance to train operators on the steps they need to take to protect staff and passengers in line with Public Health England advice, as well as safer travel guidance for passengers, both of which are regularly reviewed and updated. We have been working closely with operators to ensure that there are appropriate procedures in place and clearly communicated to passengers. Passengers are urged to plan ahead and to follow safer travel guidance.