SOME stations on the Heart of Wales line will not see any trains stopping next week – because their platforms are too short for social distancing measures.

Stations found to have platforms too short or too curved to accommodate the opening of two train doors will be out of use as part of the new safety measures, Transport for Wales (TFW) has announced.

The move means that from Monday, July 6, TFW services will temporarily stop calling at Sugar Loaf railway station, or Hopton Heath near Clun in Shropshire, from this Sunday (July 5).

Heart of Wales Line said: “The short length of the platform does not allow for use of two doors so there is not adequate provision for social distancing between passengers and conductors."

Rail passengers who need to use the stations for essential travel only are urged to contact the Heart of Wales Line on Facebook.

The action will also affect Llanfairpwll, Valley and Conwy in North Wales, Gilfach Fargoed on the Rhumney line, Prees and Hopton Heath in North Shropshire, and Earlestown on Merseyside.

A Transport for Wales spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that risk assessments found that two train doors had to be in operation to allow a safe distance between customers and conductors.

A TFW spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and over the past few weeks we’ve introduced additional safety measures at our stations and on our trains.

“We’ve undertaken risk assessments at all stations across the Wales and Borders network and in order to maintain a safe distance between the conductor and customers, we need to be able to operate two train doors.

"Unfortunately, due to the short platform length, and curvature of the platform in some cases, this is not possible at these stations.

“These small changes to our timetable are only for a short period of time as we continue to deal with challenges presented by Covid-19 and we’d like to thank all our customers for their patience and understanding.

“We’d like to reinforce our message that people should only use public transport for essential travel and where there are no other travel alternatives, and also highlight our five main principles for public transport users – stay safe, avoid busy periods, follow our latest advice, exercise while you travel and respect our staff and other passengers at all times.”