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Poll: Your predicted train travelling habits after Covid-19

How do you think your train travelling habits will change after Covid 19?

  • I am likely to continue travelling by train about the same as I did before the lockdown

    Votes: 154 70.6%
  • I am likely to stop communting by train but will still travel by train for leisure purposes

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • I am likely to travel by train more than I did before the lockdown

    Votes: 36 16.5%
  • I am likely to travel by train for commuting and leisure less often than before the lockdown

    Votes: 18 8.3%
  • I am likely to give up train travel for non-essential purposes

    Votes: 5 2.3%
  • I am likely to give up train travel altogether

    Votes: 4 1.8%

  • Total voters
    218
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Ianno87

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I've tried to use the train to do work but I find the WiFi not reliable enough or the mobile data connection if I bypass the WiFi.

The laptop I use connects into a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Even just using Google apps, it loses the connection. For data protection reasons I can't have offline working switched on for the Google Apps.

However despite that I prefer office working to home working so I'll still travel in.

I tend to do work that doesn't rely on the wi-fi. E.g. pre-download e-mails, write responses and queue back to send when I've got connection. Or write reports, etc.

The wi-fi I used most (Great Northern, Thameslink, Greater Anglia and Cross Country) I find reliable for exchanging e-mails etc.

I think leisure travel particularly locally will rocket as people want to get back out and about. I'll be interested to see what happens with commuters. Most of my regulars are not work from home types so we shall see but long distance commuting to London may well change.

Leisure travel will no doubt be kick started by some fares offers once normality resumes.
 
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Islineclear3_1

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I can't do my job at home (apart from telephone consultations) so for me, normal life and train/bus travel will resume

I will continue my railway (and non-railway) photography

I hope my grandmother will still be alive when this is all over. Want to celebrate her 100th birthday :D
 

mikeg

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I'm a key worker and have continued to commute by rail, but have had to change some of my hours owing to the emergency timetable. Thankfully my employers have been very understanding. Post lockdown, given I've missed out on a planned trip to Serbia I'll probably go at least somewhere by rail as it seems less risky than going abroad, so will probably travel a little more for leisure. My commuting will continue as normal by rail.
 

Neen Sollars

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21 Jul 2018
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324
When the lockdown ends many rail commuters will not have a job to go back to. For those that have a job there will be two groups, those who have had an antibody test and are shown to have C19 immunity, and those that either do not have immunity or are yet to have the test. C19 is likely to be around or in the background for the foreseeable. So I would guess many in the former group will restart the rail commute, and many in the latter will not. Going to take a long time for rail passenger numbers to return to pre crisis levels, good news for those who travel is they should have a more comfortable journey with fewer passengers.
 

yorksrob

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When the lockdown ends many rail commuters will not have a job to go back to. For those that have a job there will be two groups, those who have had an antibody test and are shown to have C19 immunity, and those that either do not have immunity or are yet to have the test. C19 is likely to be around or in the background for the foreseeable. So I would guess many in the former group will restart the rail commute, and many in the latter will not. Going to take a long time for rail passenger numbers to return to pre crisis levels, good news for those who travel is they should have a more comfortable journey with fewer passengers.

I think it depends on how well we can mitigate the risks. If the risk on the commute can be reduced by wearing facemasks for example, hand sanitizing, less crush loading, those who haven't had it might still return to the commute.
 

87electric

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Employment loss or reduction for many people could well impact on the rail industry quite significantly. Ticketing strategies and pricing might have to be reviewed.
If authorities are going to require/insist proof of health before undertaking any travelling (any type of transport)...……. then resuming pre-lockdown status will not be immediate.
I think it is a watershed moment and not a pleasant one.
 

yorksrob

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Realistically, most people have the virus for a limited period of time, so they will presumably be able to travel the rest of the time (even if they have to prove it).
 

Kite159

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I'm treating this current situation as a life reset, so will probably cut down my trips to maybe once or twice a month rather than nearly every week, mainly to build up savings for future goals.

Feels nice in a way to go to bed (in my own bed, rather than some hotel) on a Friday with no alarm set for the Saturday.
 

AndrewE

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9 Nov 2015
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5,063
I already reset my life when I finished work, so I suspect there are 2 different groups of people with different sets of answers here. Those still working are going to have their own variety of answers.
Those of us who have retired (and I am very aware of how lucky I am to be isolated from the current worries of all the people still working or furloughed - including my 2 offspring) will have a different take on it altogether.
I/We shall have a lot of pent-up errands to do, like visiting mum across the Pennines, visiting kids and grandchildren who we also won't have seen for many months, going on specialist shopping and museum/gallery visits that will have been off limits for ages...
One offspring has access to the London Transport Museum this year because of corporate sponsorship. I was supposed to be on a boys' day out there with his family last Saturday!
 
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Jamesrob637

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I'm treating this current situation as a life reset, so will probably cut down my trips to maybe once or twice a month rather than nearly every week, mainly to build up savings for future goals.

Feels nice in a way to go to bed (in my own bed, rather than some hotel) on a Friday with no alarm set for the Saturday.

Problem is before you know it you have a different alarm in the shape of your noisy excited kids, and not just on a Saturday!
 

Smidster

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Important to remember that this is not a representative population - most on here actively enjoy travelling so will be eager to get back ASAP. I am not sure how much that will translate to wider society.

These few weeks have brought home just how much I hate commuting and the very real negative impact it has on quality of life (or lack thereof). I will certainly be looking to work remotely more often (fortunately that is possible) and really need to move to try and minimise it further. I suspect in terms of the working population I will not be alone - Not least if companies see that things have gone OK.

I would expect leisure travel to be less impacted as people rely on a service to get to the thing they want to do. Personally my travel will go down substantially from November as I lose my Railcard so the cost becomes prohibitive for me.
 

yorksrob

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Important to remember that this is not a representative population - most on here actively enjoy travelling so will be eager to get back ASAP. I am not sure how much that will translate to wider society.

These few weeks have brought home just how much I hate commuting and the very real negative impact it has on quality of life (or lack thereof). I will certainly be looking to work remotely more often (fortunately that is possible) and really need to move to try and minimise it further. I suspect in terms of the working population I will not be alone - Not least if companies see that things have gone OK.

I would expect leisure travel to be less impacted as people rely on a service to get to the thing they want to do. Personally my travel will go down substantially from November as I lose my Railcard so the cost becomes prohibitive for me.

I wonder if any post lockdown slump will result in the introduction of a national railcard !
 

Dai Corner

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Important to remember that this is not a representative population - most on here actively enjoy travelling so will be eager to get back ASAP. I am not sure how much that will translate to wider society.

These few weeks have brought home just how much I hate commuting and the very real negative impact it has on quality of life (or lack thereof). I will certainly be looking to work remotely more often (fortunately that is possible) and really need to move to try and minimise it further. I suspect in terms of the working population I will not be alone - Not least if companies see that things have gone OK.

I would expect leisure travel to be less impacted as people rely on a service to get to the thing they want to do. Personally my travel will go down substantially from November as I lose my Railcard so the cost becomes prohibitive for me.

I commuted by train, bus or car for the first 25 years of my working life. Then I was made redundant and took a job within walking distance of home. I thoroughly recommend anyone who can to move home or job to minimise their commute.
 

Ianno87

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I wonder if any post lockdown slump will result in the introduction of a national railcard !

There'll certainly be some good offers to kick start the leisure market again.

One obvious one might be temporarily offering 15-18 month Railcard validity (for existing Railcards) for the price of 12. Especially as many people who currently hold Railcards find them effectively useless at the moment.
 

route101

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There'll certainly be some good offers to kick start the leisure market again.

One obvious one might be temporarily offering 15-18 month Railcard validity (for existing Railcards) for the price of 12. Especially as many people who currently hold Railcards find them effectively useless at the moment.

Im a mature student and hoping to renew my railcard this month to get one year out of it despite finishing uni this year. Not sure how i can get the form signed by the uni if its closed.
 

yorksrob

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There'll certainly be some good offers to kick start the leisure market again.

One obvious one might be temporarily offering 15-18 month Railcard validity (for existing Railcards) for the price of 12. Especially as many people who currently hold Railcards find them effectively useless at the moment.

Yes, that would be quite a good option in the scheme of things. It would help to get people who are inclined towards rail travel back into the habit.
 

Bletchleyite

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Yes, that would be quite a good option in the scheme of things. It would help to get people who are inclined towards rail travel back into the habit.

At the expense of a smack in the goolies to the most regular Railcard customers - the ones who buy a 16-25 the day they turn 16 and keep one for as long as possible until the day before they turn 26 (and the same with 26-30s if it sticks around). That happened last time - it saved me nothing at all. And those who didn't know they could renew early would potentially have lost months of discounts.

It would be much better to knock the price down to say £20 or even £15 for a year (to give everyone the chance of a discounted one) but keep the validity as is.

And I still remain more than willing to purchase a "National Railcard" for upwards of £100 per year and it would increase my train travel substantially if there was one.
 

yorksrob

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At the expense of a smack in the goolies to the most regular Railcard customers - the ones who buy a 16-25 the day they turn 16 and keep one for as long as possible until the day before they turn 26 (and the same with 26-30s if it sticks around). That happened last time - it saved me nothing at all. And those who didn't know they could renew early would potentially have lost months of discounts.

It would be much better to knock the price down to say £20 or even £15 for a year (to give everyone the chance of a discounted one) but keep the validity as is.

And I still remain more than willing to purchase a "National Railcard" for upwards of £100 per year and it would increase my train travel substantially if there was one.

That's true. I must admit, I will be renewing my Dales Railcard when it comes up regardless, but that's as much to keep the lines coffers stocked up as anything.
 

Ianno87

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At the expense of a smack in the goolies to the most regular Railcard customers - the ones who buy a 16-25 the day they turn 16 and keep one for as long as possible until the day before they turn 26 (and the same with 26-30s if it sticks around). That happened last time - it saved me nothing at all. And those who didn't know they could renew early would potentially have lost months of discounts.

How is it a "smack to the goolies"? Surely such people would end up neither better nor worse off overall, whilst still getting the full Railcard benefits (save for the current period durimg which they may defer renewal anyway if it is due)
 

Sprinter150

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An interesting, but potentially worrying article about change in transport habits here on the BBC (although it does confirm much of what many people already suspected). https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52414376


The number of people using public transport in Britain's cities could be 20% lower than normal after the end of the coronavirus lockdown.

In London, commuters using buses and tubes could fall by as much as 40% from pre-lockdown levels.

Rail use could drop by 27%, a poll for transport consultants SYSTRA has found.

The survey results capture people's current attitudes about returning to work, but some changes may be carried on into the long term.

The results are bad news for the government, which wants more people to use public transport to cut emissions that are fuelling climate heating.

It could lead to more people driving to work.

It's also challenging for public transport operators, which will face a sharp drop in income until public confidence returns.

Work from home
But the survey offers a glimmer of good news too. It suggests that of those expecting to reduce their use of buses and trains, 24% said they plan to work from home more, which will reduce emissions.

They said they wanted to save on the commute time and cost, and to strike a better work-life balance.

There's a major boost for video-conferencing, too. As many as 67% of people in the 1,500-strong survey said they believe virtual meetings will replace some or all business trips or meetings.

Katie Hall from SYSTRA said: "Our climate emergency has not been cancelled. There is no doubt that this situation has opened up different ways of working for many, but if people start rejecting public transport over the car for work and leisure trips - that's a massive step backwards. Public transport operators must rise to this challenge."

She said public transport operators must work hard to convince commuters that they'll be safe from the virus.
 

Bletchleyite

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It's only a bad thing if they switch long-term to cars. If they simply aren't travelling (or walk or cycle instead), it would do a lot to resolve the overcrowding issues that have existed for the past few years without costly investment.

The last "big jump" like this was a huge switch to cycling in London after the Tube/bus bombings. That was undoubtedly a really good thing.
 

Ianno87

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It's only a bad thing if they switch long-term to cars. If they simply aren't travelling (or walk or cycle instead), it would do a lot to resolve the overcrowding issues that have existed for the past few years without costly investment.

The last "big jump" like this was a huge switch to cycling in London after the Tube/bus bombings. That was undoubtedly a really good thing.

Might depend on how long the "public transport is for essential journeys only" line is parroted for.
 

Meole

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Current road fuel prices encourage car use with the bonus of avoiding contact whilst travelling.
 

david1212

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This will depend on what ' after Covid-19 ' actually turns out to be.

My train travel is for leisure only as no train option for my commute to work. Driving is around 20 minutes while bus with walking at each end, indirect routes and changes would be around 2 hours.

If ' after Covid-19 ' is virtually zero risk so a return to as last year then my train travel habit will be the same. However I think the only way that could happen is a vaccine that is 99.999% reliable and readily available even if privately but not an extortionate price.

Otherwise travel by train and indeed all public transport will be less. For a while and perhaps all of this year not at all. I see two risks. The first is direct infection from someone who is a carrier but unaware, trusting that anyone with symptoms immediately self-isolates until tested or at least symptoms cease. The second and I think the bigger risk is contact with a contaminated surface. Many train surfaces are hard plastic and Stainless Steel. These are where the virus particles can survive longest, for up to 72 hours if the data on the WHO website is accurate ( www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses then go down to How long does the virus survive on surfaces? ). While cleaning will be enhanced how much is realistic and how thorough will it be? Whether on train, at stations or other public place toilets will be a particular risk. Likewise we can take more care with hand washing, wipes and sanitiser but despite new habits again risk.

One external factor for at least the next few months will be when places to visit reopen and changes they implement.
 

yorksrob

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Hard surfaces are an issue, but I think It will be possible to avoid touching any relatively easily. One of the bonuses of PRM compliant doors for example, is that you can operate them with an elbow.
 
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