So, what now for the daily commute to work?

The number of us taking the train to work is increasing, but slowly, writes Chris Stevenson

Fewer commuters is having an impact on city centre businesses (PA)

The latest figures from the rail industry suggest that the number of those commuting to work via train remains at fewer than half of pre-pandemic levels.

The number of such journeys in mid-October were 45 per cent of what they were before autumn 2019, says the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). It appears that the trend for working from home that was a staple during the lockdowns forced by Covid-19 is not going away.

Commuter journeys have increased from the end of August when they were said to be at 33 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, thanks to some people returning to the office. But they are still low compared to the number of journeys for leisure, which the RDG has said are now at 90 per cent of the level they were before Covid-19 started to have an impact. Leisure is now said to account for more than half of all rail journeys

It is interesting that commuter journeys are at this level – although there is obviously be variance from area to area, city to city. The slowest recovery in commuting trips was in London, with demand in London at just 41 per cent of pre-Covid levels. It highlights the difficulties that businesses – particularly those in city centres – that rely on commuters, or workers on their lunch breaks, may yet still have in attracting customers.

We still get plenty of letters from readers about whether they have returned to the office or not, with the cost of rail travel another topic that gets plenty of attention. With these figures, there will be those who say – with some justification – that prices aren't helping. Particularly with the need to increase the number of those taking public transport to help deal with the climate crisis.

I’d be very interested to hear your take.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor