Strong growth for rail in city regions ‘bucks trend’

RAIL travel continues to grow rapidly in the UK’s urban centres.

This increase is bucking the trend for reduced commuting that has seen car use and bus patronage fall in recent years, according to a new report by the Urban Transport Group (UTG). 

Regional rail, which includes most train services in major metropolitan areas, has seen patronage soar by 29% over the last decade – hitting 389 million in 2017/18 – although there has been a recent softening in demand because of poor performance and industrial action.

The traditional daily commute is in decline – people made 14 fewer commutes per year in 2017 than they did in 2008 – but UTG analysis exposes a significant shift towards heavy rail. 

Read more in the September 2019 issue of The RM – on sale now!

Railway Reads

From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.

---

---

---

About the Author

Let off some steam...