Passenger numbers on the railways grew by 6% during spring and early summer as overall employment levels remained relatively stable, motorists faced high petrol prices and record numbers of passengers took advantage of deals on cheap train tickets.
Figures published today by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) show passenger numbers continuing to climb to levels not witnessed in a peacetime year since the 1920s.
In Q2 (1 April – 25 June) 2011:
- There were 322 million passenger journeys, compared to 304 million in Q2 2010 – a rise of 6%.
- Journeys in London and the South East grew by 6.9%; long distance journeys by 5.1%; regional journeys by 3.8%.
Over the first half of 2011:
- Journeys rose by 5.4% overall, increasing from 605m in 2010 to 638m this year
- Journeys in London and the South East grew by 5.8%; long distance journeys by 4.6%; regional journeys by 4.5%.
ATOC says that a combination of factors is continuing to keep demand for rail travel buoyant, despite tough economic times.
Journeys on season tickets, used almost exclusively by commuters, rose 2.4% when compared to the same quarter last year. Over half a million people commute into and out of London every weekday.
Research carried out by Ipsos MORI for ATOC shows that 1 in 6 rail users said that they have switched from car to train for at least one journey during February and March this year – around half of these people said that this was because of the price of petrol.
The sale of cheap Advance tickets, that provide passengers with a seat reservation on a specific train, has risen by 65% since 2007 and is now at record levels. Sales of these tickets were 17% higher than during the same quarter last year.
Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of ATOC said:
“Despite tough times for many people, train companies are successfully attracting more and more passengers to rail.
“Every part of the rail network has reported growth for well over a year now as the industry has emerged strongly from the recession.
“Historically high petrol prices and a relatively resilient job market in many parts of the country have played a big part in growing passenger numbers.
“However, as family budgets are squeezed, record numbers of people are taking advantage of the cheap deals that operators make available.
“Sales of cheap Advance tickets have shot up as more and more passengers are booking ahead as a way of saving money.
“With well over a billion journeys made every year by train, rail travel hasn’t been this popular since the 1920s. The challenge now for the industry is to keep on providing growing numbers of passengers with services that continue to improve.”
