Rail services return... but will commuters?

TRAIN services returned to 90 per cent of their pre- Covid levels today in a bid to encourage the nation back to the office.

Rail usage is currently a third of what it was before the pandemic, according to Department of Transport figures.

Southeastern has added an extra 900 carriages and 50,000 seats to its weekday services in the capital, restoring timetables to 98 per cent of normal levels.

David Horne, managing director of LNER which runs services between London, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, pledged a return to 85 per cent of its services.

He said: “We are seeing more people travelling on our trains and these extra services will ensure that we can maintain social distancing in the coming weeks.”

A survey of 2,000 public transport users by Transport Focus last month suggested that 77 per cent of passengers were satisfied with measures to keep a safe distance from others.

Research also indicated that half were satisfied with the ease of finding out how busy a service would be before travelling.

A further 69 per cent were happy with the number of people wearing face coverings.

But Anthony Smith, Transport Focus chief executive, warned that the industry still has a lot to do to reassure commuters. He said: “Disruption and any crowding from this will be especially unwelcome and has the potential to damage trust in the railway.”

It is mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport, with exemptions for people with health issues.

A study by the Rail Safety and Standards Board concluded that the risk of contracting Covid- 19 on an average journey is below 0.01 per cent.