What Is Responsible For This Company’s Dramatic Fall In Passenger Numbers?

[Hymie]

Apparently they have fallen by almost 1/3, for many businesses this would be sufficient to result in bankruptcy.
Answers on a postcard – please.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64390979

[Gromit]

They are running 8 less journeys per day, so of course ridership (and income) will be down.
Delays in processing travel documents due to us leaving the EU mean stations are unable to function as they did previously.
And this is happening at the same time as a cost of living crisis that means that people have less money for Disney trips and City breaks.

[jno]

one looks forward to having a carriage to oneself (if one can bribe the immigration officials to let one on). But it's a mostly French company (the UK sold its share to investors abroad) so they may do things differently there. They recently merged with Thalys so any surplus Eurostar trains can be used on Thalys's high-speed European services instead. Britain's loss is Europe's gain.

[bednobs]

surely its to do with covid?

[Gromit]

Bednobs, nope.

// a lack of border officials is driving an almost 30 per cent increase in the time it take to process passengers departing from the London terminus //

All down to UK Government ineptitude.

[bednobs]

perhaps its not solely 1 thing? people have realised that travelling is not necessary any more and most working people now have the ability to connect with others over the internet, and its become much more usual. my company works with france on one of our projects. in2019, theere were monthly in person meetings in france. Since covid, we have found other ways round it.

[jno]

bednobs, they're actually restricting the numbers who can travel on the trains as well as the number of trains. First trains each day have 350 seats unsold, out of 900. It's because they can no longer handle the full number of passengers and if they tried those who missed out would all have to catch the next train and so on, which would screw up the whole day.

You now have to turn up 90 minutes ahead, which is much the same as flying.

[Gromit]

Nowt to do with covid or people not want to go anymore.

The change in numbers is down to delays caused by extra immigration checks imposed by the UK. The extra time and inconvenience means flying is often a better option.

[bednobs]

perhaps its not solely 1 thing? people have realised that travelling is not necessary any more and most working people now have the ability to connect with others over the internet, and its become much more usual. my company works with france on one of our projects. in2019, theere were monthly in person meetings in france. Since covid, we have found other ways round it.