Record demand for British passenger rail services

In the overseas nation that's most like the U.S., there are nearly 20,000 passenger trains per day (versus about 2,000 in the U.S. among Amtrak and regional commuter railroads). OK, this is probably one of the most stark differences between the U.K. and the U.S.:

Record demand for British passenger rail services

 

RIDERSHIP on Britain's passenger network increased by 6.9% in 2010 with 1.32 billion journeys made, according to figures released today by the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc). The figures show that the railways carried more passengers than at any peacetime year since the 1920s with a record 33.3 billion miles travelled by train. Ridership was also up by 37% compared with 2000.

Growth was higher in the summer months with an 8% year-on-year rise. Demand was also up in the final quarter despite two instances of heavy snowfall in December that severely impacted services.
 
A 15% rise in the cost of petrol in 2010, more frequent services on some routes and high punctuality are being cited as some of the reasons that more and more people are using the train along with an improvement in the economy.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.railjournal.com/newsflash/record-demand-for-british-passenger-services.html

 

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Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
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