I know it’s only August and official 2020 station usage figures won’t be published for a few months yet, but this year has been no normal year for the railway with Covid-19 causing a massive drop in passenger numbers. It seems likely that every station on the network will see an annual drop in footfall compared to last year’s figures, but I wonder if there will be some that will take a far more significant hit than others?
For example, with working from home becoming the new norm, fewer people are travelling from commuter towns in the South East to London terminals, so both stations in this category seem likely to take a big hit. On the other hand, WFH and furlough has given people more leisure time, so they are more likely to visit tourist destinations such as Cornwall, Snowdonia and the Lake District, boosting footfall of stations in these areas and making up for the loss of commuters on those lines. I expect though that towns which have had to do with a local lockdown like Leicester and Blackburn will be the worst hit due to the prolonged period of measures.
On a final note, I wonder how many, if any stations will actually see an increase on last year’s footfall? I reckon a rural branch line station which had low patronage last year could manage this, particularly if it’s in an area popular with staycationers.