From
Rail Technology MagazineI have a feeling of "confirm what we knew" but actually I'm not quite sure. I am personally not surprised at any of this / could probably have guessed the results though not the exact figures. Noting that this report is for major urban centres and not for all areas.
Massive 29% rise in rail over last decade uncovered by survey
Rail has been described as ‘a runaway success story’ in an influential national transport survey which examines trends over the past decade.
Fewer commutes per person, reduced car use in major urban centres and rapidly falling bus patronage – these were some of the transport trends in the UK▸ ’s biggest cities and city regions, as identified in the Urban Transport Group’s latest data report.
The report – Number crunch 2019: Urban transport trends in changing times – drew on local city region data, as well as national statistics, and examined the last decade and the most recent data. Regional rail, including most local services in the Metropolitan areas, has seen soaring patronage, hitting 389 million in 2017/18 - a huge increase of 29% since 2008/09.
The survey uncovered a decline in the traditional, daily commute as working patterns and practices have changed. On average, people made 14 fewer commutes a year in 2017 than they did in 2008.