Second lockdown

Industry sources fear service cuts and line closures if a second Coronavirus spike causes a crash in passenger numbers.

DEVASTATING plans to mothball parts of the railway and drastically reduce services are being considered by the Treasury, in the event of a second wave of the Coronavirus.

According to rail industry sources, no new money is available to maintain the huge subsidies that are currently costing the Government around £700 million per month under the Emergency Measures Agreements imposed in March.

When these contracts run out in September, new temporary deals will provide sufficient funds to ensure that key services remain operating, but only if there are signs of a recovery in passenger numbers. If a second wave reduces numbers further, then the Treasury will force the Department for Transport to implement widespread closures across the network.

These will include many regional services, largely those serving low densely populated areas - notably in the North East, Kent, Cornwall and East Anglia.

There will also be reductions to some services into major conurbations, where passenger numbers remain low while car use has increased.

Branch lines are also being targeted. And while London commuter trains will be maintained, service frequencies will be reduced.

Emergency legislation is being considered in order to allow the temporary closure of lines. The Treasury, whose top civil servants feel they were forced into allowing the present high levels of support for the industry, want to see services reduced to match levels of demand.

At the moment, passenger numbers are around 16%-20% of last year’s levels. But after an initial spurt once lockdown began to be eased at the beginning of

July, there has been little increase. The only trains with high levels of use are commuter services running between 0600 and 0700, as well as those operating on some routes to the coast.

Otherwise, the messaging about the risks of public transport has continued to deter people from using the railways. One industry source said: “Passengers have been scared off the railways and are taking the car instead, even into central urban areas outside London.”