Coronavirus - Train journeys?

[RosieLancs]

Does anyone know or have a link to the rules for train travel at the moment?
Everything I've come across is a bit vague.

For context and to hopefully avoid drip feeding - I don't drive, I have a friend approximately a 45 minute train journey away who has quite bad mental health problems and is really suffering at the moment, I've tried getting them extra support from a distance but we've exhausted every option.
They can't travel to me because of their extreme anxiety but they would really benefit from someone dragging them out for a proper walk in the countryside (they live in a small town bordering the place we would walk so no additional travel once we got there).

Am I allowed to get the train to see and help them?
It is a direct journey of about 45 minutes starting at a usually fairly busy station and ending at a barely used station.
I would be bringing my 10 year old twins but we have face masks and hand sanitizer and they are sensible enough to not touch anything they shouldn't on the train.

I realise there's a risk in it but I feel it is less than I encounter at the supermarket.
I can't quite figure out whether it is actually allowed or not.

Just because we have no time travel restriction doesn’t make it ok 🙄 they have been very clear in saying to only commute on trains if you really have too.

The rules are very clear you and 1 person from another household if you can stay 2m apart. Not you, your 2 dc and 1 other person

Where I live, trains seem to only operate during rush-hour so you probably wouldn't be able to go outside these times. You would look a bit conspicuous perhaps if you were with children as you would obviously not be going to work.

@Spam88 no you absolutely cannot get on a train to go for a walk in England. Well, you probably can, in the sense that if it's an unmanned station no one is going to stop you, but it is explicitly against my train company's current rules and I suspect others too. We are still running a service for key workers/essential journeys only. It would be beyond selfish to impact social distancing on a train just because you wanted to go for a walk.

It is legal for one person to get the train to go for a walk with one other person; and given that the other person is very vulnerable, there is a clear argument that this is an essential journey. I agree that taking the kids along makes the situation a bit more complex.

It would be beyond selfish to impact social distancing on a train just because you wanted to go for a walk

Outside commuter times it's highly unlikely that you would affect social distancing on a train. They may be a bit busier this week but then more trains are running but last week someone said there were about 20 people on 12 carriage commuter trains.

Wear face coverings on the train OP and go.

My question would be what sort of conversation will you be able to have with your friend in front of your DC?
Are they year 6? If so you could go in a few weeks if they're going back to school?
You sound like a great friend to be so concerned but I probably wouldn't go at this point. Could you zoom?

It's also easy enough to say "don't use public transport" but what happens if you can't or don't drive? It's like sitting in your lovely south-west London garden enjoying the sun and slagging off flat-dwellers for sunbathing in a park.

would be what sort of conversation will you be able to have with your friend in front of your DC?

A normal chat about trivia. She’s not going to be her friend’s therapist. Chances are the kids would walk at a distance anyway. I can only think that people who suggest communication via technology really don’t understand that it’s no substitute for being face to face.

Outside commuter times it's highly unlikely that you would affect social distancing on a train.

The trains aren't running much outside commuter times in many areas.

@cologne4711 the train I had to travel on last week mid morning was busier than was comfortable. I'm a train driver. We don't all have 12 carriage trains.