Summer of blockbuster events helping Tube ridership close gap with pre-pandemic numbers

By Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

Transport bosses say London’s summer of blockbuster events and tourism surge is helping Tube, bus and train ridership figures to close the gap with pre-pandemic passenger numbers.

Transport for London (TfL) revealed that Tube ridership figures on Saturdays have surpassed the levels seen on their equivalent 2019 dates on several occasions this year, including April 29 by 104 per cent, May 27 by 103 per cent and June 17 by 104 per cent.

Wembley Park station saw its biggest ever number of Saturday entries and exits on June 17, as fans flocked to see Harry Styles perform at Wembley Stadium.

Some 134,000 entries and exits were made at the Jubilee line station that day, compared with around 50,000 on a typical Saturday without an event.

A similarly impressive 120,000 entries and exits were made at the station on July 8, when Blur performed their first headline show since 2015.

The London Pride parade on July 1 meanwhile saw 6.9million entries and exits on the Tube – making it the busiest Saturday on the network since December 2019.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “London is roaring back this summer, with millions of tourists from around the globe and visitors from nearer afield joining Londoners using public transport to enjoy our incredible events and go to our world-renowned theatres, venues, galleries and museums.

“There is so much still to look forward to with a wide array of festivals, events, exhibitions and performances showing why London is the greatest city in the world.”

The buoyant numbers come as TfL launches a new campaign to show the value of public transport.

Currently, between three to four million Tube journeys are being made every day across the TfL network, which is around 85 per cent of levels seen before the pandemic.

Around five million bus journeys are being made on weekdays – around 80-85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

TfL hopes that its new publicity campaign will boost numbers further, with posters, videos and radio content designed to highlight features like daily capping, off-peak times and the bus and tram Hopper fare.

At the same time, around two million more tourists are expected in the city this year, compared with last.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Andy Lord, said: “It is wonderful to see the city return to the same vibrancy it had before the pandemic.

“Public transport continues to be a vital part of London’s economic recovery, and just as there are events and festivals to suit all interests, there’s also a public transport option to suit your needs, whether it’s speed, cost or convenience that’s important to you.”

(Picture: TfL)