Demand for train travel has reached two-thirds of normal levels for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.
Provisional data from the Department for Transport shows that train travel on the UK main network on Monday 23 August was 66% of the level compared to the same date in 2019.
This is up from 56% three weeks earlier.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), an industry group that supports companies that operate the rail network, said the increase is due to the increase in leisure travel.
Millions of people took national vacations and day trips this summer instead of overseas vacations, meaning more people used the train to get to their destinations.
Speaking to the Press Association, RDG CEO Jacqueline Starr said: “It’s great to see more and more day trippers and tourists traveling by train to see the people and places they like to get life back on track, whether it’s a trip to the sea, a night out or a shopping spree.
“These trips are boosting the businesses and shopping streets that struggled during the pandemic, helping to build a fair and clean economic recovery after the pandemic. ”
Home-to-work and business train travel are still well below pre-coronavirus levels, with overall sector revenue for the year only 59% of what it was at this point in 2019 .
Public transport groups have expressed concern that the pandemic has prevented millions of people from using public transport.
Road traffic has returned to nearly 100% of pre-virus levels and even exceeds that figure on some days.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-09-01 15:43:02
