The demand is as much from business as it is from commuters, because they want to be able to transport their goods more efficiently using rail not road.

And commuter demand includes re-opening closed lines and especially re-opening stations. By way of an example, a number of stations have been opened or re-opened in South Glamorgan, using an existing line but adding greatly to its potential. In effect, it has created a new rail route, while using a line that was already there.

If you think about, there are very few parts of England and Wales (Scotland to a slightly lesser extent) that did not have rail coverage at the height of the 1920s usage, or similarly extensive bus coverage from the 1930s - 1960s. So any "new" public transport route is likely to simply be a permutation of an "old" one anyway (the white elephant of HS2 being an exception, obviously).