Providing encouragement to travellers that it is now safe to return to rail travel, Championship league football club Queens Park Rangers linked up with Great Western Railway when they chose the train to travel to their first away game of the season.
Players and staff from the London club took the train to and from the West Country for their EFL Cup match at Plymouth Argyle.
Following the trip, QPR has been invited to use GWR services again for Championship matches at Bristol City, Cardiff City and Swansea.
GWR sales and marketing director Phil Delaney said: “A lot of hard work has been done to make sure people can be confident to travel safely, and that includes running more trains and carriages to make extra room, as well as the enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures.
“As we welcome more people back to the railway this partnership exemplifies that, and we are delighted to have been able to carry the team and support staff to Plymouth.
“We know the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our customer landscape, and this link-up with QPR is a great example of what we’re doing to adapt to this change. It’s something we’d be very happy to repeat with other clubs on our network.”
QPR manager Mark Warburton replied: “During these unprecedented times, travelling logistics are more challenging and important than ever before.
“GWR went to great lengths to ensure the safety of all its passengers and we are grateful to them for their help and assistance with our own requests.”
GWR has been providing rail services throughout the pandemic and has worked to ensure that these are as safe as possible. This includes increased cleaning regimes and the use of a virucidal spray; extra staff at key stations to offer help and guidance; and processes in place to help customers maintain a safe distance where possible such as restricting the number of reservations available.
