Fares reform, flexible ticketing and family offerings to aid recovery

Without major fares reform and flexible ticketing, “rail may never fully recover” from the COVID-19 pandemic.

That was the warning from

Salim Patel, programme manager for Transport for the North’s strategic rail team.

The rail offer will need to meet “new emergency needs”, he told RAIL’s National Rail Recovery Conference.

This will mean recognising that the traditional season ticket is “probably not the right option for most travellers anymore”, as office workers may not return for the full five days - and some may never return at all.

The rail industry will also need to respond to greater demand for leisure travel, with Patel suggesting: “Let’s see some great family offerings to take advantage of the expected explosion in staycations.

“And, alongside this, we need to be clear how rail is accessible to people. It needs to show its carbon credentials, it needs to have multi-modal awareness, it needs to capture the next generation of traveller. And we can do this with our family offerings.”

Patel suggested that Transport for the North, working with industry, “is in the ideal place to provide the platform and kickstart the North’s railway offering”.

He added: “We want it to be different and we want it to be fit for purpose. We want to put rail focus on building back passenger confidence with a clean, safe, user-friendly and punctual service.

“And we want it to be complemented with a flexible fares structure that meets the needs of the newly reset traveller.”