As the country begins to emerge from the economic and social restrictions of the pandemic, the rail sector has a unique opportunity to respond to a new set of values and priorities. Following two decades of rapid growth, the pandemic saw rail usage drop to unprecedented levels during the national lockdowns. This report shows that ensuring rail plays its full role in the economic and social recovery will be vital for delivering the sort of new economy that people want as we emerge from the worst of the virus. This report complements our previously published research on the value of leisure travel by rail to the economy.

To understand the size of the prize involved with placing rail at the centre of the recovery, this report presents findings on the economic footprint of rail, alongside original research into the value people place on the wider economic, social and environmental benefits that rail brings over other transport modes. In doing so, this report advocates the support that rail can bring in speeding up recovery across Britain, delivering on levelling up and green growth in the process.

Read the report here.

Published September 2021