Video Icon
CORONAVIRUS

Taxpayer may prop up train firms until 2022

Train companies face being propped up by the taxpayer for up to two years amid warnings that passenger numbers may fail to return to pre-Covid levels.

Emergency contracts between the government and train operators are set to be extended into 2022 to prevent companies going bust or walking away.

Rail industry sources told The Times that it was feared that a fifth of passengers would fail to return “for the foreseeable future”, even after the end of the coronavirus crisis because of changes to working patterns.

It is believed that many who have worked at home will not return to a daily commute.

The government suspended existing franchises — the deals signed between the government and most rail operators — in March following the collapse