Covid: Safety fears as face-mask rules 'ignored on Welsh trains'

Some passengers have complained of being crammed into carriages with strangers refusing to wear masks on Welsh trains, despite Covid laws.

In Wales face masks remain a legal requirement on public transport, while in England they are only advised.

A number of passengers told BBC Wales people were ignoring calls to put on masks, leaving them feeling unsafe.

Transport for Wales (TfW) said it was urging travellers to wear masks on all services.

Since the start of the pandemic, 8,800 people have been barred from getting on a TfW train for not wearing a mask - with 2,047 people refused travel since the start of this year.

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Lauren Elizabeth said she felt "very unsafe" standing on a train from Newport to Manchester

While most Covid restrictions were relaxed in Wales on 7 August, the wearing of face masks remains a legal requirement in most public places, including on buses and trains, unless you are exempt.

This is stricter than in England where face-mask laws ended on 19 July, with the UK government advising people to wear masks in crowded places.

Scientists have said the risk of transmission depends on how crowded a train is, and how far away you can stay from other people.

Passengers cram on to a train from Crewe to Bangor

In recent weeks commuters have tweeted photos of packed carriages, with some people not wearing masks, as passengers travelled after Covid restrictions eased.

Some passengers said while there were announcements telling people to put masks on, including as they crossed the border from England into Wales, many were ignoring them.

'Wilfully ignoring laws'

TfW said it was continuing to ask passengers to wear face masks on services which have part, or all, of their journey in England

After using the train for the first time since the pandemic started, Maria Palmizi said she felt uneasy because she had to share a carriage with people not wearing masks.

The teacher, who was travelling back home to Barry after a day out in Cardiff on Saturday with her three-year-old, said a group of young men boarded the train, many of them not wearing masks.

"We purposely went on a different carriage to them," she said. "Unfortunately, there were also over 12 people on our carriage who did not put masks on."

She said while a message was played a number of times, and the conductor told people to put on masks, people ignored them and no extra security was in place.

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Ms Palmizi said she felt lucky people sat nearby were wearing masks, but felt "fobbed off" after complaining to TfW, who said British Transport Police were putting on patrols.

"I was just shocked passengers were wilfully ignoring legal requirements and, in my opinion, nothing was done to enforce the requirement," she said.

'Trapped on a train'

Lauren shared a video of her trip on a packed train on social media

When Lauren Elizabeth boarded a train from her home city of Newport to Manchester, she said she "didn't expect to be standing face-to-face with a stranger" for more than three hours.

She said she was left feeling "very unsafe" standing on the train on 23 July, when social distancing laws were still in place in Wales.

"It was just an awful experience... we couldn't move, you just felt trapped on a train," she said.

She added that while most were wearing masks, there was no enforcement and, after complaining to TfW, who apologised for her discomfort, said it felt like "they didn't care".

'It made me feel anxious'

Callum Littlemore, who travels regularly from his London workplace to his home in Cardiff, said there had been a marked decrease in people wearing masks on the route after English laws on them ended.

He said as he left Paddington station on 23 July about 50% of passengers were wearing masks.

Despite an announcement asking people to put them on as they approached the border, the 25-year-old said barely anyone did and no-one challenged rule breakers.

"At the time it made me feel rather anxious," he said, adding that while fully vaccinated he would continue to wear a mask in England.

"Wearing a mask is a small sacrifice to keep people safe... it annoyed me that other people weren't thinking of that," he said.

'People are confused and tired by rules'

While official social distancing laws have ended in Wales, people are being urged to keep doing it and transport providers still have a duty to take "reasonable measures" to keep people safe.

Sociologist Simon Williams said overcrowded trains took away people's choice to try and follow advice, and many people would feel worried.

"Many people may need to use public transport, such as to travel to work, they want to do so as safely as possible," the Swansea University lecturer in people and organisations said.

However, he said many people had "alert fatigue", with people being confused, tired or even switching off to Covid rules, exasperated by the different laws across the UK.

'No masks putting us at risk'

Meanwhile, with nightclubs able to open from last Saturday, taxi drivers said they had seen an increase in custom but many customers were refusing to wear masks.

Evan Shepard, owner of Evans Taxis, in Merthyr Tydfil, said many drivers had not returned to work late shifts because of fears over their safety while picking people up from bars and pubs.

"It's very difficult to make people who are intoxicated... wear a mask," he told BBC Radio Wales.

"They seem to forget they have to wear one when they are in a taxi after spending hours in pubs and clubs with no masks."

He said some passengers where putting him and other drivers in a "vulnerable position", as many had been dancing and hugging in crowded places all night before they got in the car.

"It only takes one or two people to test positive in that crowd of 500 to 600 people, to spread it about... you don't know who you are picking up," he said.

"It's a bit disrespectful."

Mr Shepard said the onus on businesses to enforce rules was putting drivers in a "difficult situation", trying to challenge people who are drunk.

"We are now faced with this dilemma, do we go back to work, or do we protect our health and stay at home?" he said.

'Limiting passengers difficult'

TfW said between 88.3% and 93.3% of passengers were still abiding by face mask rules, and added that with most stations unmanned it was difficult to limit numbers on trains.

They said they were working with BTP to enforce rules, and safety measures - such as a capacity checker - were in place.

"We're also continuing to ask passengers to wear face coverings on services which have part, or all, of their journey in England," they said.

Great Western Railway said it expected customers to wear masks on board "as per government guidelines".

And BTP said officers were continuing to engage with passengers, and enforcement was a "last resort".