Recommendation 18

COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to the rail network and rail operators across the UK. Significant investment has been required from governments to keep services operational at a time when many workers have had to work from home as a consequence of the pandemic. The medium to longer term implications of the pandemic for work habits, namely whether it will result in a permanent shift towards working from home, at least on a more frequent basis, are hard to predict at this stage. However, what has not altered as a result of the pandemic is the long- term need to decarbonise, improve air quality and reduce congestion by moving passengers away from cars and towards public transport on key routes such as the corridor between Newport and Cardiff.