Travel in the time of Covid. An assignment for Transport for the North

Another great assignment for Transport for the North this time looking at the transport infrastructure in Liverpool and Sheffield and how it was dealing with the impact of Coronavirus.

Transport for the North exists to make the case to central government for increased transport spending in the North of the country and I’m proud to be able to contribute in some way to that necessary and long overdue aim. To use the existing infrastructure is to see it’s limitations, the age of the rolling stock, the lack of capacity a general sense of a system neglected and lacking the requisite investment over many years.

To use and photograph the network in these strange virus-disrupted times could have been expected to be a pretty depressing process, but the remarkable resilience and adaptability of both the staff and those using public transport during this period was heartening and impressive and made the shoots extremely enjoyable despite some occasionally catastrophic weather conditions - the story of a Northern photographers life!

These assignments marked my first commercial foray into video making as I made some short video sequences at each of the locations the schedule. I’m please to report that these sequences are being used along with my photography in recently released promotional and campaign materials.

To photograph these environments deserted or very sparsely populated as they currently are is an eerie experience as we’re usually fighting through a sea of people to reach our locations and seeing the networks struggling with the shear volume of commuters. Perhaps seeing the network in this disrupted state gives us a glimpse of what a properly invested in network would look like, reliable, punctual, spacious. We certainly have the people - if not the finance or political will - to make it happen.

All power to Transport for the North and the staff that keep us moving.