IN FOCUS WEST MIDLANDS
WMRE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MALCOLM HOLMES AND WMT MD JULIAN EDWARDS BRIEF EDITOR PHILIP SHERRATT ON PLANS FOR THE CONURBATION
Covid has hit commuting hard – and potentially irreversibly. So for Birmingham, a city where rail was previously the dominant mode for commuting, the impact of the pandemic has been particularly pronounced. Malcolm Holmes, Executive Director at the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), points out that the return of rail passengers has been much slower than on the region’s buses and trams. This reflects the demographics of the respective markets: the average rail user has more likely been working from home – and might well continue to do so in the long-term.
