Rail and bus operators have expressed a growing confidence for the future
of the sector as rail minister says he believes passenger numbers will rebound

 
LNER has seen patronage bounce back to 94% over the last three weeks

 
There is a growing sense of optimism across the public transport sector following the easing of lockdown restrictions across the UK and as society starts to return to normal.

Last week Network Rail heralded the return of passengers to Leeds station as Saturday footfall returned to pre-Covid levels with a special ‘Back In Leeds Station’ event. The infrastructure controller revealed that footfall at the station has increased by 15% since lockdown restrictions were removed in England on July 19.

Meanwhile, across the wider rail network, the Department for Transport this week reported that patronage across the National Rail network was back up to 57% of pre-pandemic levels, but some train operators are reporting figures far in excess of that.

Writing in this edition of Passenger Transport, David Horne, managing director of LNER, revealed that his company has seen patronage bounce back to 94% over the last three weeks.

This growing sense of confidence also extends to Whitehall. Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said this week he was confident that rail passenger numbers would rebound, but warned that there have been great societal changes as a result of the pandemic.

I think we will [recover] but I don’t think there will be the numbers at the same times of day that there used to be

When he was asked if rail passenger numbers will recover, Heaton-Harris replied: “I think we will but I don’t think there will be the numbers at the same times of day that there used to be.”

He said the rail industry would be “sweating the assets in a very different way” and that the leisure market is recovering, and recovering strongly.

The minster’s words echo those of Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy who warned earlier this year that traditional commuting patterns may never return and the industry needed to adapt to a new marketplace where leisure and weekend traffic dominate.

“Probably for the first time in the railway’s history you’re getting as many people travelling on Saturdays and Sundays as you are during the week, and in lots of places more,” said Heaton-Harris. However, he also warned that “rail has to compete for its market” against other modes of transport.

Meanwhile, bus operators are also reporting encouraging signs of growing patronage.

In general terms urban and tourist networks are the best, interurban weaker; park and ride very poor.

One senior industry figure told Passenger Transport that at their business patronage was 70% of pre-Covid levels on weekdays and 74% at weekends. “It’s a fair figure,” they said. “In general terms urban and tourist networks are the best, interurban weaker; park and ride very poor.”

However, they said commercial passenger growth was stronger than concessionary travel. “How to get more [concessionary travel] back is an issue – they are still scared and have got used to car again,” they added.

Another senior bus manager also warned there was still a very strong perception that public transport was unsafe.

We’ve still got a mountain to climb on public perception

“We’ve still got a mountain to climb on public perception that has still not been undone in any notable statements, despite lots of evidence to prove that public transport is not unsafe,” they said.

“This desperately needs addressing, and it’s not a message that operators alone are going to be able to convincingly communicate, despite our best efforts.”

 
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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