06.10.16
Passenger numbers increasing, but rate has slowed
Passenger numbers and revenue on the UK railways continue to grow, but the rate has slowed compared to previous years, new figures from the ORR show.
In the first quarter of 2016-17, there were 418.5 million passenger journeys on UK railways, 1.6% more than the same point last year.
Passengers travelled 16.2 billion km, marking a 2.2% increase, and passenger revenue was £2.4bn, a 3.5% increase.
However, these figures represent a slower increase than the growth seen between the first quarter of 2014-15 and 2015-16. In that period, passenger journeys grew by 4.7%, passenger kilometres increased by 3.3%, and passenger revenue increased by 6.6%.
Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “While the rate of growth in revenue and journeys has slowed, the uncertain economic outlook in no way reduces the need for continued investment to build the bigger, better, modern railway that Britain needs.
“Rail has been a tremendous success with thousands more services and passenger numbers having doubled in the last 20 years but we know that we have to do better for our passengers, freight customers and taxpayers.”
In 2015-16 as a whole, there were 1.69 billion passenger journeys and £9.3bn in passenger revenue on the railways, the highest level since records began.
Last week, figures from the ORR showed that freight activity has declined considerably this quarter, which it attributed to difficulties facing key sectors such as coal.
Plummer said it was “vital” to “invest and plan long-term” for increasing demand on Britain’s rail network.
The ORR figures also showed that Northern was the company with the biggest increase in passenger numbers, by 9.4%. On 1 April 2016, the new Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) franchises commenced operation with services between Manchester Airport and Blackpool North/Barrow-in-Furness and between Oxenholme and Windermere transferring from TPE to Northern. Consequently the highest quarter on quarter increase in passenger journeys this quarter was recorded by Northern, increasing by 9.4% whilst journeys on TPE registered a decrease of 10.2%. This effect is replicated in passenger kilometres and passenger train kilometres.
Three of the TOCs in the London and south east sector – South West, London Overground and Abellio Greater Anglia – experienced a decrease.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s passenger numbers declined by 33.9% after it transferred services to TfL Rail.
South West and London Overground had smaller decreases of 1.3% and 3.4%, which the ORR said could be linked to a 0.8% drop in season tickets, one of the biggest drivers of passenger numbers in the region.
(Image c. Johnny Green from PA Images)
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