Public transport’s key test as UK heads back to work – The Yorkshire Post says

Overcrowding on many rail routes was causing misery before the Covid-19 pandemic.Overcrowding on many rail routes was causing misery before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Overcrowding on many rail routes was causing misery before the Covid-19 pandemic. | jpress
BORIS JOHNSON’S return to work has led to a discernible change in tone as Ministers prepare to review the Covid-19 lockdown.

There’s now a willingness to take difficult decisions that was not always apparent when the PM was left fighting for his life.

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But there’s also an acceptance, as the UK-wide death toll approaches 30,000, that the lockdown will have to be lifted very gradually, and in many phases, to limit the risk of further infections.

Yet, while Mr Johnson remains one of life’s optimists with an uncanny ability to maintain the nation’s morale, he also needs to harness the new-found spirit of togetherness that has served the country so well thus far.

Boris Johnson with some of the many getwell cards sent to the Prime Minister.Boris Johnson with some of the many getwell cards sent to the Prime Minister.
Boris Johnson with some of the many getwell cards sent to the Prime Minister.

His ambitions, shared by so many, need to be tempered by a realism that life will never be the same again, particularly in business, as society comes to terms with new norms.

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As such, a key test of new working arrangements will be public transport – and, specifically, those rail and bus services that were already beset by overcrowding before any need for ‘social distancing’ had even been considered.

By taking all rail services under public control at the outset of this pandemic, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps can ensure that the Government’s wishes are followed.

Even with most people still working from home, he will need to look at how order is maintained in queues while making the economic case for extra rolling stock for a network already operating at capacity. In this regard, it could be argued that HS2 is even more pressing because of the number of extra trains that will be able to run.

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How will social distancing be enforced on the railways?How will social distancing be enforced on the railways?
How will social distancing be enforced on the railways? | other

But, first and foremost, Ministers must ensure 
that the needs of key workers, the real heroes of this hour, continue to come first. They need to remain front and centre of the Government’s plans to get Britain back to work without jeopardising public health.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

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And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

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