HC Deb 21 December 1988 vol 144 c256W
Mr. Nicholas Bennett

"To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has as to the average daily number of users per mile of(a) InterCity railway lines and (b) motorways.

Mr. Portillo

[holding answer 19 December 1988]:

  1. (a) The estimated number of passengers per route mile per day on InterCity railways was 12,900 in 1987.
  2. (b) There is no direct information about occupancy rates for vehicles on motorways. The estimated average daily flow of vehicles per mile for all motorways was 44,400 in 1987. We estimate that this volume of vehicle flow would represent approximately 85,000 drivers/ passengers per mile per day, with about 80 per cent. of these travelling by car.