Will rail service boost spark rise in commuters?
TRAIN timetables will return to 90 per cent of the levels before the pandemic under plans to get Britain back to work.
Operators have been running a reduced service for months following a collapse in commuter numbers.
Timetables were ratcheted up to 80 per cent of normal in July but passenger numbers remain very low – leading to concerns that taxpayers are paying billions to run nearempty trains.
The new timetables will be introduced on Monday, September 7. Officials hope they will lead to a rise in passenger numbers, but many insiders fear any increase will only be slight. One senior industry source told the Mail: ‘It is galling to see road traffic return while rail passenger numbers are stagnating at 26 per cent.
‘We are concerned that the switch to home working is going to cause long-term problems for the railways.
‘We also believe there is a widespread perception among the public that rail travel isn’t safe in the age of coronavirus. This isn’t true.
‘If we want to save the economy, we need to re-normalise train travel.’ The Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, warned that trains will only be able to carry around 50 per cent of normal passenger numbers with social distancing in place.
The decision effectively to renationalise the railways at the beginning of the crisis has cost taxpayers at least £3.5billion so far.
It means the Government has been paying around £100 per passenger to keep the railways running.