RAIL JOURNEYS across the country have fallen to their lowest levels during the pandemic since the mid-19th century.
Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road reveal almost 35million journeys have taken place nationwide between April and June – the first quarter of 2020-21. The impact of the Coronavirus crisis, including school closures and people working from home, led to a drop of more than 400million compared to the same period in 2019.
Similar decreases have been seen in the West Midlands with passenger numbers dropping by 95 per cent at the height of the lockdown.
It peaked around 30 per cent when the schools and universities returned but numbers have fallen again across the region which is currently operating at 23 per cent of the usual passenger numbers for this time of year.
That is lower than the current national average which stands at 32 per cent.
Graham Richards, Director of Railway Planning and Performance at the Office of Rail and Road, said: “These figures include the period of lockdown and reassuringly we’re now seeing passenger numbers slowly increase.
“ORR has worked closely with the industry, and continues to do so, to ensure the necessary health and safety advice and guidance is in place.
“Rail is one of the safest ways to travel and our inspectors continue to monitor the reality on the ground to ensure people have the confidence that they can travel safely.”
Total passenger revenue in Great Britain was £184million for the first quarter of 2020-21 – 6.9 per cent of the £2.7billion generated between April and June 2019.
Anytime / peak tickets accounted for 24.1 per cent of all passenger revenue this quarter – the lowest share for such tickets in any quarter since the time series began in 2010-11.
