A total of 417 million rail passenger journeys were recorded in the final three months of 2023 (compared with 348 million in the corresponding period in 2022), bringing passenger totals close to pre-pandemic levels. Fares income is also on the rise.
Figures released by the Office of Rail and Road reveal that the 20% increase in journeys made is matched by 20% uplifts in revenue (to £2.6 billion) and in journey distances (to 15.2 billion passenger kilometres).
The encouraging figures are despite seven days of large-scale industrial action, which meant few or no services on most UK routes.
Some operators also won business back because they returned to normal timetables after slashing them by half last year.
Aside from the Elizabeth line, Avanti West Coast recorded the greatest growth at 38% because it has almost doubled the number trains its runs.
Anglo-Scottish East Coast rival LNER is near the bottom at only 6%, and Great Western Railway performance is marginally better at 10%.
TransPennine Express (33% more services) has also turned in good figures, while ScotRail’s pilot removal of peak fares last October looks to be paying off, with 34% grow
