Rail travel is down by 20% across the country, journeys on the Underground have fallen by 19% and buses in the capital have seen a 10% fall in patronage.

Data from navigation company TomTom shows that in Belfast at 8am yesterday, traffic congestion was 78% lower than the average at that time of day during 2019. Reading saw a 38% fall in congestion in the morning peak, Southampton 34%, Bristol 29%, Manchester 27% and Edinburgh 20%.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday that the railways have seen “a big drop off” in passenger numbers including a fall last week of around 20%.

He said the Government is in discussions with train operators on ways forward and how franchises can be sustained. “People will still need to travel to an extent, and some of that is about how many trains are put on a line at any one time,” he added.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “We are working closely with the Government and the wider rail industry to ensure we can minimise the impact of any spread of the Coronavirus on our places of work, and on our ability to continue to operate a safe and reliable railway.

“We continue to take advice from Public Health England and our own chief medical officer to plan for a range of different scenarios, and ensure that our staff are advised on how best to maintain good hand hygiene, both in their usual workplaces and in public areas such as stations.”

Trade union RMT’s general secretary Mick Cash commented: “As it considers bailing out the private rail companies the Government must now issue a cast iron guarantee that as well as protecting transport services all transport jobs and skills, including those in the supply chain must be protected.”

The Transport Secretary also addressed the impact of the virus on the aviation sector. “They are at the forefront of this because global travel has come close to a halt in many areas,” he said, adding that the Government is holding summits with the industry this week.

Transport for London says that it will be able to manage the initial impact of Covid-19, however the financial impact of Coronavirus could be up to £500M. Chief finance officer Simon Kilonback said: “Given the nature of the situation, we will be looking to the Government to provide appropriate financial support.”

He added: “We continue to follow and communicate Public Health England advice, including that there is no specific risk on public transport. We’ve also stepped up our cleaning regime to give our customers and staff further reassurance.”

(Photograph: Aleksey Boyko – Shutterstock)