Keeping you safe - latest travel advice

At the station

Please note that CrossCountry do not manage any stations, so for advice and travel guidance for the station you intend to visit, please search for your station here.

Arrive early - Allow plenty of time at the station before your train arrives, as there may be directional signage and queuing systems in place.

Please keep your distance when parking - Please note, we do not manage any station car parks. However, our advice is try to park at a distance from other cars where possible.

Face coverings – It is mandatory to wear a face covering when passing through a railway station as well as when travelling by train. Face coverings can be removed only whilst food & drink is being consumed. To make your journey safer, maximum fines of £6,400 are being issued by British Transport Police to people who do not wear a face covering. While some people are exempt, everyone else must do so to protect others. See our FAQs. See our FAQs.

Social distancing - When walking through the station please respect other people around you. Always maintaining social distancing measures, including when using escalators, lifts and seating at stations.

Health and hygiene – Please always carry hand sanitiser to use before and after your journey. Hand sanitiser can be purchased from the catering trolley on-board, if available, if your train does not have a catering trolley, please ask one of our colleagues who will be able to help you further. We also ask that you wash your hands both before and after travelling with us. To find out more about availability of hand sanitisers please visit the station information page here.

Respectful behaviour - Please respect station colleagues, who are there to help and guide you through your onward journey.

Station colleagues - Please remember our teams at stations and on-board our trains are not responsible for the enforcement of social distancing. So please work with us, be mindful of your fellow passengers, and take sensible steps to keep a safe distance.

Station facilities - There is a greater focus on cleaning toilets and other high-touch areas in stations, as well as increased use of antiviral cleaning products and ensuring toilets are well stocked with soap. For more station information about the facilities at certain stations please visit here.

On the train

Buy your ticket in advance, and reserve a seat. - To help us maintain social distancing on-board our services, please book before you travel, and reserve your seat. You can make a seat reservation when booking directly via our website, mobile site or Train Tickets app. At the point of purchase, you will receive a reservation which will include your coach and seat number.

Full services – If there is no available space on the train when it arrives, you must disembark and wait for the next service to arrive. If this is the last service of the day, please contact us and we will be able to arrange alternative transport.

Follow the signage - There is additional signage on all our trains to remind you and fellow passengers to 'stay safe and stay apart', throughout your journey.

Social distancing - Please keep your distance from other customers and our colleagues. It is important to stick to your reserved seat on-board to help us maintain our social distancing processes.

Face coverings - It is mandatory to wear a face covering on-board our trains at all times, except for when consuming food and drink. Maximum fines of £6,400 are being issued by British Transport Police to people who do not wear a face covering. While some people are exempt, everyone else must do so to protect others. See our FAQs

Catering - Catering is available on-board our services. To keep our customers and colleagues safe, catering will be provided from a static location at one end of the train. On-board colleagues will make regular announcements to let customers know when and where to find our catering trolley.

We have reintroduced our at-seat service in First Class which will comply with social distancing measures. Please note, we only have a limited range of products at the moment.

Customers are welcome to bring their own food and drinks on-board and face coverings can be removed only whilst food & drink is being consumed. If you are travelling with us in Wales, please note that under current guidelines you cannot consume food and drink on-board..

Health and hygiene - Always carry hand sanitiser, ensure you wash your hands before and after your journey and do not touch your face throughout your journey. Hand sanitiser can be purchased from the catering trolley on-board, if available. If your train does not have a catering trolley, please ask one of our colleagues who will be able to help you further. We are only accepting contactless payments on-board for the safety of both our customers and colleagues.

Boarding the train - Stand well clear of the doors and allow others to leave the train with a safe distance before you board. We have added additional dwell time where possible at busier stations to give you and other customers enough time to board safely.

Avoid busier times of travel - Please consider booking to travel with us at quieter times of the day if it is possible for you to do so. Our dedicated ‘traffic light’ page shows how busy reservations have been over the last week, so you are able to choose quieter times to travel here.

Cleaning our trains - We have enhanced our cleaning regimes and are now spending an additional 2400 hours each week cleaning our trains, especially focussing on the main touchpoints such as door buttons and hand rails. We have also increased the frequency of deep cleans. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you feel the service you are on was not up to standard. You can find the best means of contacting us here.

Facilities - All of our toilet facilities are still available on board. We have increased our cleaning regimes including the increase use of antiviral cleaning products and ensuring toilets are well stocked with soap.

What we're doing

Following the latest Government guidance - We continue to follow the latest Government guidelines to ensure we take the appropriate actions to keep you safe. We're proud to have been awarded the 'We're good to go' accreditation from Visit Britain, meaning we provide a COVID-safe environment for you on-board our trains.

Reducing contact when handling payments - We are encouraging our customers to use contactless payments only and where possible purchase an e-Ticket or use a Smart card for Season tickets.

Please check payment options at the station you are visiting, please visit the station information page here.

Promoting good personal hygiene - We are selling hand sanitiser from our catering trolley on-board, subject to availability. If your train does not have a catering trolley, please ask one of our colleagues who will be able to help you.

Enhanced cleaning -We have reviewed the work of our train maintenance and cleaning contractors to ensure all trains go through a deep clean process at the end of each day, with regular cleaning throughout service.

We have increased staffing levels to help keep our trains clean during the day and our on-board cleaners clean the equivalent of 264 football pitches every day.

We have introduced more frequent walk-throughs to clean surfaces on a more regular basis and have ensured our team are fully aware of the importance of maintaining good hygiene themselves.

Social distancing - We have installed additional on-board signage reminding you and other customers to ‘stay safe and stay apart’.

Reserving a seat - We have listened to your feedback and re-introduced seat reservations. For all journeys from Monday 7 September, we are asking you to book before you travel and reserve a seat on the train to help us maintain social distancing on-board. For more information, please visit our reservations FAQs.