Railway journeys fell for first time in 20 years due to Covid-19
Railway journeys in the West Midlands decreased for the first time in around 20 years amid the start of Covid-19, figures show.
Data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) showed 99 million journeys took place in the region between April 1, 2019 to March 31 last year.
Railway travel fell 1.5 per cent when compared to the year before – 2018 to 2019 – where 101 million journeys were recorded.
Statisticians from the ORR said it marked the first time since 2000-2001 that the total number of journeys for the region had fell.
A spokesman added: "The fall in journeys made within and to/from the West Midlands in 2019-20 is consistent with the change seen in the rest of Great Britain.
"It is highly likely that this fall was caused by measures taken to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic."
The time period covers before the pandemic and the build up to the first lockdown announced by the Prime Minister on March 23.
Government chiefs had, however, urged people to avoid "non-essential" travel prior to the national measures being introduced.
West Midlands Railway was among railway operators in the region to scale back services at the start of the first lockdown.
It saw services halved but core services continued to run to help people attend medical appointments and help key workers.
Journeys between the West Midlands and other regions decreased by 1.8 per cent over the period of 2019 to 2020, to 34 million.
Travel to and from London dropped by four per cent to 14 million. Journeys to the North West increased by 0.5 per cent to 5.8 million.
Shropshire and Staffordshire saw an 1.1 per cent increase in journeys beyond the region, whilst journeys within the West Midlands overall fell by 1.4 per cent to 65 million.
