Tube Journeys Jumped 8% Last Week as Londoners Returned to Work

(Bloomberg) -- London subway journeys rose 8% last week, bringing ridership to its highest levels since early December, when the omicron coronavirus wave interrupted a year-long recovery.

The London Underground averaged 2.2 million journeys from Jan. 24-28, according to figures provided by Transport for London. Monday morning saw a further 9% jump, according to data from the city agency, which manages the city's bus and underground network.

Workers are returning to the office after the government this month lifted advice to work from home where possible in England. Most other restrictions were removed as well as the omicron surge started to ease. An infusion of funding from the U.K. government has helped keep TfL afloat as it struggles with a drop in revenue.

Both bus and subway traffic rose last week. The Tube stood at 50-55% of pre-pandemic levels, while number of passengers traveling by bus was further along in its recovery, at 74-75% of 2019 levels.

A spokesman for TfL said the transport service has seen “a general increase in demand” since the restrictions lifted.

The migration back to office buildings has been through several false starts as looser restrictions were followed by spikes in virus infection rates. The decision was taken to relax the work-from-home guidance and other restrictions and rely on the successful vaccine booster rollout, even as case counts remained high.

TfL has seen revenue plunge during the pandemic and is currently seeking to reach a long-term funding agreement with the government.

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