According to Network Rail, no evidence of coronavirus was found in tests at four major railway stations and intercity rail services.
We wiped areas that passengers regularly touch, such as escalator handles, ticket machines, and benches, and took an hour of air samples.
Two rounds of testing were conducted in January and June at London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly Station.
The test was repeated on a train running between stations.
A survey of results by Imperial College London found no surface COVID-19 contamination or airborne particles of the virus.
Rob Mall, Senior Program Manager for Network Rail’s response to a pandemic, said:
“We want all passengers to travel confidently on the rail network and continue to play our part by thoroughly cleaning trains and stations.
“When traveling with respect for others, ask passengers to wear face covers and do it little by little so that the spread of COVID-19 can be stopped.”
On July 19, the government withdrew the legal requirement to wear a face cover in environments such as public transport.
David Green, Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London, said: Collect the virus on the surface in the air or with a cotton swab.
“This approach provides a way to quantify the amount of virus circulating in these public environments and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies such as cleaning and wearing facial coverings.
“This is part of a broader work program with public transport to understand where the virus is most prevalent and to be able to return to pre-pandemic activities as safely as possible. “
Neil Lancefield