14.05.20
Multi-billion-pound railway investment to aid national recovery
Journeys on railways set to be smoother and safer following a multi-billion-pound infrastructure package announced today (May 14th) by Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary.
Major improvement works have already taken place over the past month. In April £550m of improvement and maintenances work was carried out across the country’s rail networks.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, chairman of Network Rail has been requested, by the Transport Secretary, to oversee how operators can best in line with the government’s guidance to keep passengers safe.
As part of this, rail operators have been asked to give regular station speaker announcements, clear signage and floor markings, while ensuring extra staff are available to manage crowding and provide guidance to passengers.
Enhanced cleaning regimes on trains and at stations have also been introduced by operators and Network Rail. As more people return to their cars, it is critical this is done in a sustainable way. The government has therefore today outlined its vision to supercharge the electric car chargepoint network by boosting the numbers of rapid chargepoints across England’s strategic road network over the next decade.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “There has been a monumental effort in every corner of the country to slow the spread of the virus and protect our NHS. However, the battle is not over yet and we urge everyone to keep up the good work and only travel when they need to.
“To help those who do have to use public transport or get out on the roads to do their jobs, we’ve been accelerating infrastructure upgrades to make sure that, as we gradually reopen our society, everyone can benefit from smoother and safer journeys with better connections for our future.”