Weekend tube numbers continue to grow, reaching 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels

By:

Add as a preferred source on Google
Trade unions representing workers on the London Underground have accepted a pay deal which averted strikes at the eleventh hour in January.
Trade unions representing workers on the London Underground have accepted a pay deal which averted strikes at the eleventh hour in January.

Weekend tube ridership continues to grow, reaching more than 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, figures from Transport for London (TfL) showed today.

According to the data, numbers on 12 March were at 85 per cent of 2019 levels, with more touristic stations such as Tower Hill, Westminster and Waterloo seeing similar levels of demand as before Covid. Stations outside of zone 1 reported similar numbers too.

“The tube is now regularly hitting 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and rising to almost 85 per cent at certain times – as people return to discover the vibrant sights and sounds of the capital this spring,” said Julie Dixon, TfL’s interim customer and revenue director.

Last week, TfL reported 2.72 million journeys on the London Underground network during weekdays, about two thirds of 2019 levels as more people go into the office following the government’s unveiling of the ‘living with Covid’ plan.

“While this encouraging data demonstrates that customers are increasingly confident in using public transport and are keen to return to the city, there still remains a significant reduction in TfL’s fares revenues compared to before the pandemic,” Dixon added, alluding to the short-term deal brokered between the public body and the UK Government.

Under the deal, signed on 25 after months of back and forth between the City Hall and Westminster, the government agreed to extend TfL’s funding until 24 June.