Published on : Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris during a virtual meeting of the transport select committee, rail minister said that rail journeys were down 95 per cent on the same day last year, whilst the number of bus passengers has fallen 88 per cent.
TheTransport for London figures, passenger numbers on the tube have fallen 94 per cent but only 80 per cent for London buses.
There is a considerable less use of cars and overall traffic numbers down 71 per cent, a figure that rises to 83 per cent on the UK’s strategic road network – its motorways and A roads – alone.
Also, the traffic on the Transport for London road network was also down 63 per cent.
International transport is heavily restricted due to widespread border closures and stringent travel bans, UK air traffic is down 92 per cent and Eurostar journeys have fallen 99 per cent.
Heaton-Harris went on saying that he thought the number of people not using the country’s transport network was “sufficient”, adding that it was crucial that authorities were able to keep arrangements “as fluid as possible” for essential workers.
People have been urged to avoid making all but the most essential journeys as per measures introduced by prime minister Boris Johnson.
Wide-ranging measures are being taken by the government across various transport sectors to ensure that UK companies are protected from the collapse in passenger demand.
The DfT approved a £167m package for the UK’s bus companies to ensure continued services. It had already introduced an emergency measures deal to help the UK’s rail franchises.
It is also in one-on-one discussions with the country’s airlines considering the potential financial assistance.
Tags: rail