TRAIN services operating throughout Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham will be running a reduced service following government advice.

Great Western Railway is reducing services to reflect national advice against non-essential travel, while maintaining services critical to keeping key workers moving during the current situation.

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The new timetable will operate from Monday, March 23.

The changes prioritise key routes essential for those people continuing to deliver vital services as the UK responds to the current situation.

GWR Interim Managing Director Matthew Golton said: "The railway is a critical part of the UK’s infrastructure and, even though many people are remaining at home due to the latest government advice, we will be relied upon to continue to help key workers in other sectors get to work so they can provide services critical to the day-to-day running of the country.

"Our responsibility is to run a service that can be relied upon at this time.

"We are taking sensible measures to make sure we are able to do so."

Full details of the timetable will appear on industry websites shortly.

Journeys can be checked here.

Despite the reduction in services, GWR is reassuring those who do have to travel that demand remains low, and customers are able to distance themselves from others.

Measures already taken by GWR include:

· Amending its refunds policy to make it easier for those not able to travel to alter their plans or to seek a refund on the cost of unused tickets

· Continuing extensive cleaning and hygiene regimes to ensure services are fit for use. All trains are fully cleaned on arrival at a depot overnight and surfaces wiped down. The company has also doubled up on high contact areas, such as handles and doors, and has contingency plans in place for a deeper clean should a customer fall ill and a case be reported on board

· Establishing a secondary Control Room and a Strategic Command Room with Network Rail to ensure they have another clean location to maintain vital rail services. As an essential public service, Control; Strategic Command; the Train Planning Unit and other essential functions have been quarantined, with access restricted to necessary personnel only.

Reading Chronicle:

South Western Railway (SWR) has also announced today (March 20) that it will be operating a revised timetable.

Mark Hopwood, South Western Railway's managing director, said: "We've decided to operate a revised timetable from Monday 23 March onwards.

"With the government advising people only to travel if it’s essential, and with some of our team needing to follow advice and self-isolate, running fewer trains means we can offer a more reliable timetable that still gets key workers, such as doctors and nurses, to and from work.

"The outbreak has put the country in a unique place, but it’s vital our industry helps its day-to-day running. Our colleagues are working hard to ensure services are running so passengers who can’t stay at home get where they need to be when they need to be there.

"The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority, and like the rest of the country, we’re doing our bit to reduce the spread of coronavirus and continue to follow the latest government advice."