Merseyrail has become the latest operator to add face coverings to its trains. A large yellow face covering has been added to the outside of five of the rail operator’s trains, alongside the message “Have you got it covered?”
It has been mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings on public transport since 15 June unless exempt, and this latest campaign is part of Merseyrail’s commitment to ensuring passengers adhere to the rules on their trains and at stations to protect themselves and others while travelling.
In addition, to drive the message home, various statues across the Liverpool City Region are now wearing face masks – the Beatles, Cilla Black and even a Lambanana have all been sporting Merseyrail branded face coverings to help raise awareness.
The campaign comes as schools prepare to fully reopen and many employees begin to return to their places of work. Educating passengers on the use of face coverings is just one of the steps Merseyrail has taken to ensure that passengers can enjoy a safe, reliable and efficient service when travelling. Other steps include:
- Social distance signage at stations on floors, escalators and lifts;
- Queuing systems at busier stations;
- Increased cleaning regimes using specialist microbial cleaners that kill pathogens on surfaces.
Suzanne Grant, Commercial Director at Merseyrail, said: “The safety of our passengers and our staff has been our top priority during this pandemic and the wearing of face coverings is a major part of this.
“We have been reminding our passengers about the new rules for a number of months now and we wanted to reinforce this message in a more visible and unique way. I would encourage all of our passengers to let us know if they spot these trains on our network by sharing their images with us on social media by tagging us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
“All of our staff are working hard to keep people moving across the Liverpool City Region as safely as possible, and I would ask that our passengers support us in this by wearing a face covering, socially distancing where they can, using contactless payments and travelling outside busier times where possible.”
These customised masks, as worn by Ken Dodd, Billy Fury and Anthony Gormley’s Another Place, are available to purchase in Merseyrail’s Mtogo stores at Liverpool Central, Southport and Liverpool South Parkway.