Northern passengers packed into crowded Doncaster-Sheffield train as Covid hits rail services

Alison Elsayed shared the photo of passengers crammed into a carriage, with social distancing impossible despite Covid cases continuing to surge nationally, on the 4.35pm Doncaster-Sheffield service on Friday, December 17.

She tweeted: “Three cancelled trains worth of passengers in two carriages. The 16.35 to Sheffield. Where is your duty of care to your passengers?”

Fellow passengers echoed her disappointment.

One wrote: “Was on this train. Words fail me!”

Another commented: “Why on earth is it only a couple of carriages during peak hour?”

Northern’s services were ravaged on Friday, with a shortage of drivers and crew due to Covid leading to numerous delays and cancellations.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “We are sorry some customers had a difficult journey earlier today.”

“Due the impact of COVID-19 and train crew availability we have had to cancel some services and are doing all we can to provide the best possible service for customers in extremely difficult circumstances.

“We advise passengers who plan to travel over the Christmas period to check their journey in advance - with their train operator or via National Rail Enquiries - and allow plenty of time.”

The latest Covid-19 infection rate in Sheffield is 338.6 new cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to December 13 – up slightly from 314.7 the previous week.

In Doncaster, the rate has fallen slightly, from 369.9 to 361.0; in Rotherham, it is down from 388.3 to 384.9; and in Barnsley, it has dropped from 406.3 to 339.8.