Every line and station will have its own special circumstances but the Hope Valley stopping service has been largely restored today, together with many TPE and EMR services. It seems they were all almost empty.
It's only 10 minutes walk to Dore & Totley station where I got this photo of the car park - 6 cars for trains, 50% up on last week! One owner stays away all week every week. At the far end the restaurant has closed and is taking the opportunity to add a second storey complete with old railway carriage (sleeper?) to be hoist onto the roof. Watch that space!! The adjacent hairdressers has diversified and is selling plants and garden supplies in the open, both businesses making use of the free station car park. Today's small children will be telling tales to their grandchildren of how they shed their cycle stabilisers having gained confidence here in lockdown 2020!
Ah, trains. The 16.58 Northern arrived on time with 3 of us on the platform. A trainspotter at each end and me in the centre. A 150+156 combination, driver and red hi-viz jacketed male in the first unit. Guard and two passengers in the second, the two passengers in window seats on directly opposite sides of the carriage. I can't imagine a crowded train here for quite some time
Passengers lost are very hard to get back, ever. Where are the hundreds who used to travel now?
- Some have reconfirmed that the comfort and convenience of their already owned car beats any train, even when they run.
- Some have had weeks of practice at working from home and are now doing it as routine.
- Some have lost the jobs they used to travel to.
- Some don't yet know when or if they'll be getting recalled to their jobs.
- Leisure users are now terrified of catching something! Very many are responding extremely well to the highly effective marketing not to travel - with the subliminal message that rail travel may indirectly kill you!
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