Ruislip Lido Railway confirms reopening date after Coronavirus closure

Picture of Michael Holden

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Ruislip Lido Railway confirms reopening date after Coronavirus closure

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Picture of Michael Holden

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John Rennie on the Ruislip Lido Railway
John Rennie // Credit: RailAdvent

The has confirmed their planned reopening date for passenger services following the closure.

The railway has confirmed that they will re-open on Saturday 4th July 2020 in line with government guidance.

However, things will be different. Due to volunteer availability, the railway will run a revised timetable, which can be viewed here on their website. This timetable is subject to change throughout the month.

Locomotives at Woody Bay
Locomotives at Woody Bay // Credit: RailAdvent

Trains will have a limited capacity, with trains running at 50% capacity every day. This will involve passengers being assigned seats by volunteers.

Additional trains may run if volunteer availability permits these to run safely. Boarding and disembarking trains will also be different from pre-COVID days.

The Lido remains open, but the Turntable Team Room at Willow Lawn Station will be closed, with public toilets only being available at Willow Lawn. The Beach and Splashpad area will stay closed.

Here are a couple of photos showing how the Ruislip Lido Railway have prepared to welcome passengers back the railway:

Ruislip Lido Railway preparations for passengers after coronavirus
Credit: Matthew Streeton
Ruislip Lido Railway preparations for passengers after coronavirus
Credit: Matthew Streeton
Ruislip Lido Railway preparations for passengers after coronavirus
Credit: Matthew Streeton

Matthew Streeton, Vice-Chairman & Traffic Manager at the Ruislip Lido Railway, told RailAdvent: “Since we temporarily closed the railway in mid-March, we have been working hard in the background to draw up our own set of guidelines to support social distancing and to provide the necessary cleaning materials to keep both passengers and volunteers safe. We are introducing one-way systems at both of our stations, keeping passengers apart on board and running additional trains where we can to provide extra capacity. We’ll also be providing hand gels and disinfectant sprays in all our loco cabs, Guard’s compartments and buildings to ensure our volunteers can regularly wipe down shared surfaces and sanitise their hands when they are not near a sink. We’ve engaged closely with our very supportive local authority to ensure they are content that our plans allow us to operate in a COVID secure manner.”

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