THE number of rail passengers in the first wave of the pandemic dropped to levels not seen since the reign of Queen Victoria.
Just 35 million people travelled by train in the three months from April.
It was down from 394 million in the first quarter of 2020.
The slump took levels to the lowest since the days of steam in the mid-nineteenth century, officials said.
But the figures, from the Office of Rail and Road, show numbers jumped back to 134 million in July, August and September.
Graham Richards, director of planning and performance, said there had been a shift towards off-peak travel and praised operators for putting on more trains.
But he added: “When passengers return in 2021, it is important that the rail industry maintains the good punctuality we’ve seen recently.”
It comes as the RAC say a fifth of drivers have scrapped travel plans this Christmas.
It still expects 13 million separate trips by car between December 23 and 27.
RAC Breakdown’s Rod Dennis said: “Despite the loosening of restrictions on festive bubbles, our figures suggest many drivers aren’t keen.”
