Rail travel is soaring but domestic air demand is on the way down, it has been revealed in the wake of bmi’s decision to axe flights between Glasgow and Heathrow.
Virgin Trains welcomes confirmation of the switch to rail in findings by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). Based on a comparison of rail industry figures with data published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a long-term change in travel patterns has been identified.
CAA figures show that between 2006 and 2010, passenger journeys by air between Glasgow and London airports went down by 22.4%, while ATOC information confirms a remarkable 85.8% increase in rail passenger journeys between the cities.
Rail’s share of the rail/air market between Glasgow and London had been as low as 6% in the early years of the 21st century but has grown significantly since then, reaching 10% in 2006, 12% in 2008, 16% in 2009 and 20% in 2010.
“This is great news for the environment as rail is the ‘green’ way to go,” said Katharine Cole, Acting General Manager, Scotland and Cumbria, for Virgin Trains. “It’s also great news for our excellent staff because it proves that their hard work in delivering quality customer service has encouraged passengers to stay with us once they have tried rail instead of air.”
“With bmi having taken off for the last time between Glasgow and Heathrow, this is a perfect opportunity for even more people to take the train instead. In the two years since we introduced a hugely improved timetable, our trains have become more popular than ever.”
She added: “With Advance single fares from £18.50 in Standard and from £49 in First Class between Glasgow and London, our trains offer good value as well as good speed between city centres.”
Virgin operates 13 Pendolino trains a day in each direction between Glasgow Central and London Euston with a typical schedule of 4 hours 32 minutes. For much of the day, there’s a train every hour from Glasgow.
