The changing pattern of rail travel continues.

I’ve previously noted the mid-week peak with more travellers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays than on Mondays and Fridays.

But now, it seems, the week has evened out with the same level of rail use on all five weekdays.

Figures from the Department for Transport suggest for the last couple of weeks there have been as many people using National Rail on Mondays and Fridays as on the Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The statistics were steady at 60% of pre-pandemic levels for the week beginning Monday 24 January and 58% for all five weekdays the following week. Then provisionally up to 62% or 63% for the five days from 7-11 February.

That is despite a recent poll suggesting nearly two in every five people working from home say they will never return to the office.

If the trend continues, this will help the train operating companies plan their services with a greater degree of certainty. It will also improve their finances and make them less reliant on the Government/Treasury for support.

The current set-up – described by the rail minister as a “broken model” – is not structured in a way to make money out of leisure travel. The profitable part of the business is the commuter traffic. That’s why the pandemic has hit the bottom line so hard.

The recovery in leisure travel hasn’t been able to compensate for the loss of income from regular commuters – indeed, train operators report season ticket renewals are far below the numbers previously seen.

So what will help to lure people back to using the trains again?

Fast, reliable WiFi appears to be a key way to attract more travellers, particularly young people.

A survey commissioned by evo-rail has suggested that 64% of 16-35-year-olds would pick a train over other forms of transport if offered access to fast, reliable wireless internet.

The poll, which was carried out by Ipsos Mori, also indicated that 41% of adults would choose rail if offered the same web surfing access.

The speed of the internet connection is just as important as the speed of the train to the modern traveller.

:: An update on one of my previous posts about the new headquarters for Great British Railways.

The public competition is now open and the shortlist will be announced in May. The choice is as much about fulfilling the Government’s “levelling-up” promise as it is about railway history.