London transport bounces back: Numbers up say TfL
Transport for London have put out more information on growth of public transport usage in London this summer as passenger numbers rise.
TfL highlighted that some days on Saturdays have exceeded 2019 numbers – albeit this is of course highly selective.
Generally though if you’ve read this site you’ll know numbers have seen healthy growth across a number of modes.
Monthly data released has been regularly covered as well as passenger usage after Freedom of Information requests. In addition, Transport for London’s regular board meetings are a gem for finding out the latest without waiting for press releases (hello to the legacy press – see how many today pretty much copy this word for word) which have shown growth up to around 90 per cent of levels in 2019.
As an example shown in GLA data, London Overground usage was higher in 2023 across the month compared to 2019.
Rail not so good
It’s all in stark contrast to local rail within London which languishes on networks such as Southeastern Metro due to service cuts after government demanded cuts.
Add in decrepit trains and higher fares for similar journeys made on TfL and no wonder people turn away.
The floors are still bubbling up.
Interior fittings are often falling apart filthy with bits missing.
Another transport mode that isn’t doing well though are buses. They still see fewer passengers than before 2020 and have been on a solid downward trend for a decade.
One bright spot is that bus usage around Abbey Wood station has doubled since the Elizabeth line commenced.
Perhaps the new Superloop express buses may alleviate that, with news out recently of a faster route to Abbey Wood station amongst other around the capital.
