Rail journeys plummet in West due to Covid-19
THERE were nearly 60 million fewer railway journeys taken in the South West last year due to the pandemic, according to new figures.
Railway usage collapsed to the lowest level since 1872, the data published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) yesterday reveals.
Bristol Temple Meads remained the region’s busiest station, but it saw passenger entries and exits fall by 83 per cent from 11.62 million to 2.03 million in the year from April 2020 to March 2021.
Pre-pandemic it was Britain’s 36th busiest railway station but fell to 50th last year, with it largely being overtaken by suburban London stations such as West Ham, Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters.
On a national basis Britain’s train usage dropped 78 per cent compared with 2019-2020, proving slightly more robust nationally than at most of the West’s bigger stations.
In the South West there were only 19.75 million journeys over the year, compared with the previous year’s figure of 78.70 million.
Elsewhere across the South West, Bath Spa was used by 1.19 million people (down by 81 per cent from 6.43 million) followed by Exeter Central (946,172) and Exeter St David’s (727,776).
Filton Abbey Wood (down 88 per cent) and Bristol Parkway (85 per cent) in South Gloucestershire saw the biggest declines in use, highlighting their reliance on commuters.
Bournemouth, though, jumped into the top five most-used stations across the region in 2020-21, with 698,046 entries and exits, suggesting the public was drawn to the summer hotspot when restrictions were eased. It was previously the region’s seventh busiest station.
Nationally, ORR’s
stats
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Stratford railway station in London was the most-used in Britain, recording nearly 14 million entries and exits over the period.
It is the first time in 17 years that London Waterloo was not ranked the busiest station; it saw the biggest decrease in passenger usage, with 12.2 million entries and exits compared with 86.9 million in 2019-20.
Nearly 200 stations had fewer than 1,000 entries and exits, with six including Sampford Courtenay in Devon - recording none at all during the last year as a result of services temporarily suspended due to the pandemic.
Feras Alshaker, director of planning and performance at the ORR, said: “Throughout 2020-21 the railways remained an essential service for those people who needed to travel during a year which was impacted by the pandemic.
“Bristol Temple Meads remained a key destination for many passengers through the year, but these stats also underline its importance as a vital stop and interchange for people across the South West.”