Documentary To Show The Impact Of Coronavirus On Transpennine Express

The final episode of The Railway 24/7 airs on Wednesday 22 July at 8pm on Channel 5
The sixth instalment in the series will show how the arrival of Coronavirus in the UK impacted TransPennine Express
With passenger numbers down 95% the documentary will show how TransPennine Express dealt with the unprecedented situation

With unique access from the boardroom to the platform, the latest instalment of a documentary series going behind the scenes at TransPennine Express (TPE) will show what happened when Coronavirus hit the UK’s railways.

The sixth episode of The Railway 24/7 will be broadcast at 8pm on Wednesday 22 July and will follow the rail operator as passengers desert the trains during the pandemic, recording an extraordinary moment in the life of our railways.

The documentary will follow Billy Vickers at Manchester Airport Station, who is seeing customers cutting their holidays short and heading home, conductor Nikki May, who is amazed at how quiet services are becoming in Yorkshire and colleague Scott Brannan, based on the frontline, who is swabbing down trains to keep the virus at bay.

The episode will also show bosses call an emergency meeting at company HQ in Manchester, as even though passenger numbers are plummeting, they must keep services running for the sake of key workers.

With passenger numbers dropping by 95% during the pandemic and the UK being plunged into lockdown, the government is forced to step in, leaving customer experience director Kathryn O’Brien hoping there will soon be light at the end of the tunnel.

Liz Collins, Interim Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said:
“The arrival of the coronavirus in the UK has had a huge impact on the country’s railways.

“At TransPennine Express we have taken unprecedented steps to ensure that our staff and passengers across our network are kept as safe as possible during the past few months.

“I’m extremely proud of all of our colleagues with how they have reacted and adapted to the situation, especially those on the frontline who have kept our services running for our amazing key workers.”