Air filtration London to Newcastle

[pethadine82]

My mother needs to travel to Newcastle from London, and she has sarcoidosis, as well as having severe covid in Jan where she was hospitalised.
This is a considerable distance and we are trying to work out which has the least congestion in terms of pax

1) Train, not sure what the air filtration is like, are windows left open to allow for ventilation? Does the air conditioning have virus particle filtration?
2) Plane, probably has the worst ventilation, but will be the quickest
3) Driving, most tiring and exhausting, but least likely to contribute to Covid.

Love to hear thoughts. Do you need to show a negative lateral flow / PCR test on long distance train / plane journeys?
Many thanks

 

[Cheshire Rover]

I think you will find that aircraft air quality is better than you think.

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldselect/ldsctech/121/12108.htm

 

[DarloRich]

I would suggest:

• Book a first class train ticket. (more space, fewer people, maybe some free goodies)
• Air conditioning will be on and seems to work well (no idea about filters)
• No test required to use a train
• Mask needed on station and on board.
• Trains are very well cleaned and sanitised.

I have been driving a lot during lockdown and while no doubt safest mixing wise it is tiring and the roads are much busier than they have been.

 

[ainsworth74]

1) Train, not sure what the air filtration is like, are windows left open to allow for ventilation? Does the air conditioning have virus particle filtration?

Assuming you'd be travelling with LNER there are no opening windows on any of their trains. Indeed we're slowly moving away from opening windows full stop across the country as new fleets are rolled out with air-conditioning. I don't believe there's any specific "virus particle filtration" but as far as I'm aware its conventional HVAC so will be taking air from the outside to circulate around the carriage not just recirculating the same stale air all the time and I believe HVAC system usually have some sort of filtration on them as well.

I haven't checked recently but I'm sure research has been done (perhaps in Germany?) early in the pandemic (pre-vaccination rollout) which struggled to find any cases of someone catching covid on a train.

Do you need to show a negative lateral flow / PCR test on long distance train / plane journeys?

No, no testing is required to travel on a train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If COVID is the primary concern due to immune issues (as it seems it is) I would without question go by car. Just ensure you allocate longer than necessary to the journey and take plenty of long breaks for a coffee etc, ideally obtaining it from a "drive thru" to avoid spending much time with other people indoors.

The Delta variant is very highly transmissible, and so even train aircon is unlikely to guarantee it won't spread.

 

[AlterEgo]

If COVID is the primary concern due to immune issues (as it seems it is) I would without question go by car. Just ensure you allocate longer than necessary to the journey and take plenty of long breaks for a coffee etc, ideally obtaining it from a "drive thru" to avoid spending much time with other people indoors.

The Delta variant is very highly transmissible, and so even train aircon is unlikely to guarantee it won't spread.

This. If you're worried about catching COVID then avoid situations where you can catch it. If driving is an option, this seems sensible given the minimal risk involved.

 

[pethadine82]

Thank you so much for your help. I will be driving her, having seen what she went through in Jan it was horrific and don't want to end up in the same situation, even though she has had both vaccines.

 

[IanXC]

Seems relevant to mention this study here, which was conducted on the basis of no social distancing or face coverings, but with the original Alpha variant.

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www.rssb.co.uk

Rail still safer than road during Covid-19
Featured story20 August 2020
Passengers can be a lot more confident about travelling by train safely according to RSSB – with the risk of Covid-19 infection being less than 0.01% on an average journey.
Rail safety experts worry that people may be assuming the roads offer a less risky alternative during the pandemic, when in fact trains are safer and greener.

Analysis by the rail safety body has shown the risk of contracting Covid-19 while travelling by train is about 1 in 11,000 journeys. This is equivalent to a chance of less than 0.01%, based on an hour-long train journey in a carriage with no social distancing or face coverings.