London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

Get used to fewer trains, says rail body

Get used to fewer trains, says rail body

Around 10% fewer train services should run once the country opens up again, compared to the pre-pandemic timetable, the chairman of Network Rail has said.

The old pattern of five days of peak commuter travel may not return, Sir Peter Hendy warned the National Rail Recovery conference.

Instead, leisure travel might boost weekend traffic, especially if limits on international travel continue.

Commuter traffic could return to 80% of pre-pandemic levels, he suggested.

"The service doesn't run better if you put too many trains on the track. We've proved that," said Sir Peter.

"You shouldn't try to get more out of the infrastructure than it can give you. All of my experience is that people prefer reliability to journey time."

Passenger numbers fell precipitously in March when the pandemic struck and have only partially recovered since. Many commuters are working from home and some businesses remain closed.

The government's timetable foresees a gradual opening up of the economy over the coming months. However, some firms have already signalled some workers may continue to work from home for some of their working week.

Sir Peter said commuter traffic on the railways could remain at around 80% for the next one to three years, although he said that Network Rail, which manages the UK's rail infrastructure, were also looking at a range of possibilities between 60% and100%.

He warned that the working week could change so dramatically that commuter routes may only see one peak day a week and that ticketing options should be looked at to even out the service.

Leisure visits to family or for recreation could boost passenger numbers on summer weekends, he suggested.

"I used to watch the trains to the Cornish Riviera from Paddington and it was packed and we might need to get used to that again,' he told the conference.

"If Saturday and Sunday get busy in the summer we need to do engineering work at other times."

The rail network may rely more on leisure travellers in future

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris also acknowledged that commuting was not going to return to previous levels quickly.

"We are not going back to before - this is the new normal. We now need to fundamentally change," he said. Without a concerted cross-industry effort passengers might not return, he added.

In December, the government said it was "committed to providing a more flexible, modern ticketing system for passengers" and asked rail operators to develop flexible season tickets.

When many commuters travelled to work four or five days a week, a season ticket provided value for money. Part-time commuters currently face a much higher price per journey.

The Department for Transport expects flexible season tickets to be introduced across England later this year, which could save commuters "hundreds of pounds".

Mr Heaton-Harris said during the pandemic passenger numbers fell to levels "not seen since the 19th Century" but everyone would work hard to restore business, and ensure a safe and clean network. He said this would require a "coherent approach, [where] innovation is needed more than ever".

Keith Williams, whose much anticipated rail review is expected to be published soon, described the pandemic as a "Black Swan" event for the rail industry. The review had been due for release shortly before the pandemic began and has now been updated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×