May 1, 2008
UK Travellers Choose Trains
An encouraging new finding: according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), more UK commuters are taking trains now than than any other time since World War II. According to Atoc’s recent study, 30.1 billion miles were travelled via rail in the United Kingdom, a record high. Treehugger reports:
Passenger numbers have been increasing every year for the past thirteen. The only time it was higher was during the war when troops were being transported around the country. Last year the network handled 1.21 billion rail journeys, that’s the equivalent of 20 trips for every citizen and a 7 per cent rise on the year before. Train authorities say it has to do with the growing demand for environmentally friendly travel and because it is easier than driving on congested roads and avoids the misery at airports.
But the honeymoon may be shortlived if ticket prices continue rising as they have been. As the UK’s rail system is not state-run, fares are up to the private operators to determine (and in January, some decided to increase them by up to 15% on the most popular routes).
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