Rail is not a last resort

摘要

Outside of commuting, the vast majority of people in Britain today don't use the railway that often. 'Is it the transport of last resort or the transport of choice?' is a wonderful phrase that is often used, and looking at the results of PwC's most recent consumer survey, the answer is 'last resort'. According to the survey, published last year, most people predominantly drive themselves to work. And if money was no object most people would still choose to go by car - either driving themselves or being chauffeur driven. Nevertheless, demand on Britain's major rail networks is forecast to increase significantly and it's essential that a network transformation occurs in order to cope with this demand. By 2030, overall volumes are expected to be around 120 per cent of current levels, growing at a rate of 3.3 per cent year-on-year. From a passenger perspective, numbers have increased at a faster pace than expected and they continue to rise.