More passengers on London Underground than before pandemic for first time

Passengers are slowly coming back to rail and Tube networks

Trains parked at the London Underground Stratford Market Depot (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

London Underground passenger numbers recovered to their pre-pandemic levels for the first time since March 2020 over the Jubilee bank holiday, figures show.

The new numbers released by the Department for Transport on Wednesday show passenger levels on the Tube were at 118 per cent of the same level last year on Thursday, and 108 per cent on Friday.

The passenger increase was apparently driven by Jubilee celebrations and marks the first time ridership has passed 2020 levels on any given day – a major milestone.

But while Tube ridership has been recovering steadily, outside the Jubilee the system is still below pre-pandemic loading on most days – significantly so on weekdays.

In normal times Transport for London finances its operations with passenger revenues, and the collapse in ridership during Covid-19 has put it in dire financial straits.

A government bailout to cover the finding gap expires this month and TfL is likely to require more cash to avoid sharp cuts – albeit less than in previous rounds due to more passengers returning.

TfL is already consulting on closing flagship bus routes through central London, including the 24 which runs past the Houses of Parliament.

Bosses have also said without more funding a Tube line may have be mothballed and other projects like new safe cycle infrastructure have been put on ice.

Ridership has been creeping up in recent weeks and is now consistently over 70 per cent on most weekdays, except Monday when more people tend to work from home.

Weekends have recovered better, with ridership now over 90 per cent in the most recent non-bank holiday weekend.

Both figures are a marked improvement compared to the start of the year where ridership was clocking in between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels on most days.

Outside London national rail is also recovering, slightly ahead of the Tube on ordinary days.

Ridership across Great Britain, including London, is slightly above or below 90 per cent on most days across the UK rail network, as of the latest revised figures released by the DfT.

But both TfL and rail operators have warned that revenues are not recovering at the same rate as passengers as fewer people are buying five-day-a-week season tickets and more people are choosing to travel at off-peak times with lower fares.

Yet the figures appear to show predictions that public transport would become obsolete or unviable post-pandemic have not come to pass. Sustained passenger growth in recent decades on the UK’s rail network means that even the reduced ridership levels are roughly where they were less than a decade ago.

Responding to the latest figures, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It was incredible to welcome tourists from across Britain and around world to London, to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

"Our capital’s world-class public transport enabled visitors to enjoy the fantastic events taking places throughout the weekend.

"The brand new Elizabeth line was open throughout the weekend and saw more than 1 million journeys made.

"In the last 70 years the Queen has led our country through some of the most extraordinary times in our history, and these celebrations have played a key role in supporting our recovery from the pandemic, boosting tourism and drawing visitors from across the globe back to London.”