The government bailed out the rail companies - but the pandemic also accelerated a phenomenon that had been happening quietly for some time. Fewer people were commuting by train to their jobs.
Empty trains became a feature of the first lockdown - and most services are still far from full.
- Credit: Nathan Long
During the first lockdown millions of people started working from home for the first time - and many have found this a satisfying and less-stressful way of working than the hour-long journey every day to and from the office in the heart of a city.
As the first lockdown eased, the number of passengers rose - but trains are still carrying less than 30% of pre-pandemic passengers and there are serious doubts about how long it will take for passenger levels to reach pre-Covid levels.