Rail fares have just gone up.

Did you notice? Probably not because this year’s rise was not only delayed by two months from the start of January to the start of March but also came at a time of lockdown when only essential travel is permitted.

So instead of the traditional news coverage of post-Christmas weary commuters muffled up against the chill January weather complaining about the latest increase, there was hardly any reporting of the 2.6% increase in the cost of train tickets.

Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that the increase will affect those travellers who do return to using the trains to get to work when the lockdown eases and they start to trickle back to their offices.

The introduction of more flexible tickets and moving away from the fixed increases linked to the Retail Prices Index will be a better way for the rail industry to recognise the impact that Covid has had on train travel.

Punctuality, reliability, affordability and adaptability will be the measures by which the travelling public will judge rail operators in a post-Covid world.