Demand for trains in Yorkshire sank to mid-19th century levels during lockdown

A train travels through Yorkshire. Pic: PA

Demand for rail travel sank to mid-19th century levels following the coronavirus outbreak, new figures show.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said more than 400 million fewer journeys were made between April and June compared with the same period in 2019. Just 35 million journeys were made during the quarter this year.

Yorkshire's biggest operator Northern Trains saw 1.5m journeys during the three months, just 5.7 per cent of the total for the same period in 2019.

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And TransPennine Express saw 470,000 journeys, representing 6.3 per cent of the previous year's total.

Passenger revenue between April and June was £184 million, just 6.9 per cent of the £2.7 billion in the same period last year.

Department for Transport (DfT) figures show demand has since returned to around 38% of normal levels.

ORR director of railway planning and performance Graham Richards said: "This unprecedented fall in passenger numbers, the largest on record to levels last seen in the mid-19th century, has clearly had an impact on both rail usage and also ticketing revenue.