MORE than eight months into the pandemic, and with another massive rise of Covid-19 infection rates last month, it comes as no surprise there has been no improvement in the sparse number of passengers using any form of rail, although more are travelling for leisure than business.
The Government is spending billions of pounds to prop up the rail industry, as well as many other sectors of the economy during the pandemic, but the bare facts are the costs are becoming unsustainable. Sooner or later, something will have to give.
Government control of franchised train operators is now greater than at any time since Privatisation, so staff numbers and pay levels will be under very close scrutiny at a time when passengers and revenue have plummeted and the income/outcome gap is widening.