Train passenger numbers fall by 2.5 million due to crisis

This year rail usage across the country has plummeted, with services cancelled and stripped back due to lockdown measures.

But new data from the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) shows that passenger numbers at stations across the region had fallen by 2.4m to 164.9m in 2019-20.

Campaigners insist rail usage is likely to grow once travel restrictions caused by the pandemic have ended.

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At Wolverhampton last year, 5.1m passengers used the station - 182,612 fewer than the previous year, a fall of 3.4 per cent.

An estimated 3.6m passengers used Shropshire's 16 stations, which is 23,376 (0.6 per cent) fewer than the previous year.

Stations across Sandwell saw a small increase in usage, up 0.3 per cent to 7.3m.

The busiest station was Rowley Regis with 1.2 million entries and exits by passengers, followed by Sandwell & Dudley at 1.1 million, and Cradley Heath, 872,000.

Restrictions

At Walsall's three stations passenger numbers fell by two per cent to 1.6m. Stafford and Stone stations saw usage rise by 5.4 per cent to 2.8m.

Around 87.4 million passengers used Birmingham's 34 stations – including New Street – a fall of 1.1 per cent on 2018-19.

During the first lockdown passenger journeys on Britain’s railways fell to the lowest level since the mid-19th century, with 35m journeys taking place from April to June, which was eight per cent of the total for the same period in 2019.

The ORR has put the national reduction in journeys down to a “dramatic drop” in passengers in March due to Covid-19 restrictions.

But Railfuture, an independent organisation with 20,000 members, is hopeful the railway system will recover.

Bruce Williamson, a spokesman for the group, said: “I am very confident that the railways will bounce back when Covid-19 is over.

“We can’t ignore the fact the world has changed and people working from home may stay put – but I still feel for the most part, things will return to normal.

“Considering the underlying trend of increased rail usage over the past 30 years, we have to look at Covid-19 as a temporary blip.”

Jay Symonds, ORR senior statistical analyst, said: “The dramatic drop in passenger numbers towards the end of March due to Covid-19 explains much of the drop in usage compared to last year.”

He added: “With numbers staying at historically low levels during 2020, there is no doubt that next year will look a lot different.”