Northern passengers packed into crowded Doncaster-Sheffield train as Covid hits rail services
and live on Freeview channel 276
Alison Elsayed shared the photo of passengers crammed into a carriage, with social distancing impossible despite Covid cases continuing to surge nationally, on the 4.35pm Doncaster-Sheffield service on Friday, December 17.
She tweeted: “Three cancelled trains worth of passengers in two carriages. The 16.35 to Sheffield. Where is your duty of care to your passengers?”
Fellow passengers echoed her disappointment.
One wrote: “Was on this train. Words fail me!”
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Hide AdAnother commented: “Why on earth is it only a couple of carriages during peak hour?”
Northern’s services were ravaged on Friday, with a shortage of drivers and crew due to Covid leading to numerous delays and cancellations.
A spokesperson for Northern said: “We are sorry some customers had a difficult journey earlier today.”
“Due the impact of COVID-19 and train crew availability we have had to cancel some services and are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for customers in extremely difficult circumstances.
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Hide Ad“We advise passengers who plan to travel over the Christmas period to check their journey in advance - with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries - and allow plenty of time.”
The latest Covid-19 infection rate in Sheffield is 338.6 new cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to December 13 – up slightly from 314.7 the previous week.
In Doncaster, the rate has fallen slightly, from 369.9 to 361.0; in Rotherham, it is down from 388.3 to 384.9; and in Barnsley, it has dropped from 406.3 to 339.8.