TfL records 4 million Tube journeys a day for first time since pandemic

More than four million Tube journeys were made in a day last week marking the highest number since the pandemic.

Transport for London (TfL) recorded 4.05 million Tube journeys last Thursday (November 23) and 24.78 million journeys completed in the entire week.

TfL said ridership is returning to pre-pandemic levels, with Tube journeys up 7.6% on the equivalent day last year.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “It’s fantastic to see London truly roaring back post-pandemic - this impressive boost in ridership will support London’s and indeed the whole UK’s wider economy recovery.

TfL said midweek ridership on the Tube is now regularly above 3.7m journeys and up around 6.5 per cent compared to last year.

Bus ridership is also continuing to grow, with around five million journeys now being made daily. The Docklands Light Railway is seeing 325,000 journeys made daily and London Overground networks are also seeing 625,000 journeys made on an average weekday.

With the increase in ridership TfL and the  mayor of London are calling on the government for further investment to continue modernising its services to support rising demand and growth.

£500m a year is needed to help renew the Tube, with new trains for the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines a priority.

TfL says it is able to fund three quarters of the capital investment programme it needs the government to step in to provide the final quarter.

Last week the transport body shared its concerns with the government’s failure to include its plans for capital funding for London’s transport network in the Chancellor’s Autumn statement.

Andy Lord, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “It's great news that we are now seeing ridership numbers reach 4 million a day on the Tube again, and that ridership is growing across our services.  Public transport is a fundamental component of our economic recovery, and we must continue to encourage public transport use if we are to revive and grow our economy. 

“However, we need the government to urgently confirm that they will provide the capital investment support we need for 2024/25.  TfL’s investment in the supply chain supports more than 100,000 jobs across the UK, almost half of which are in small medium enterprises, who are also reliant on TfL’s funding certainty."

The mayor of London added: “This data shows that people are returning to their pre-pandemic travel patterns. We can’t rest on our laurels - In order to further support this boom and deliver the world class transport system London deserves we need sustained capital investment over multiple years with support from central government. 

“This will help us support jobs and economic growth in London and across the country, and build a better, more prosperous London for all.”