London North Eastern Railway (LNER) continues to lead the way when it comes to welcoming people back to rail, topping the table for franchised operators for two years running.
LNER operates more than 160 daily services carrying millions of people across its 956-mile East Coast route.
Between January and March 2023, passenger journeys were at 111 per cent when compared with the same period for 2019, according to new data published today by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
For the quarter, LNER recorded 6 million passenger journeys, an increase of 22 per cent on the same period in 2022.
Data shows that Fridays and Sundays are still proving to be the most popular days for people to travel as demand for leisure journeys continues to thrive.
As a result of changing travel trends, LNER is looking to increase capacity on Sundays, with proposals for additional Sunday services on its London King’s Cross and Leeds route.
The wider industry is also trialling carrying out essential engineering works during the week to keep customers on the move during the popular weekend period.
Post pandemic, LNER is the most popular way to travel between Edinburgh and London, with its fully electric fleet of Azuma trains continuing to transport more customers between the two cities than air, as people increasingly look to travel in a more sustainable way.
The ability of Azuma trains to operate in bi-mode power ensures services can often continue to run when engineering works take place on electrified routes.
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “We are delighted that for two years running LNER has topped the table for franchised operators seeing record numbers of customers return to our services.
“We’ve seen a huge demand in leisure travel, with business travel continuing to grow. In the 2022-23 financial year, we carried one million more passengers than we than we did in 2018-19.
“We are continuously working to improve our customer experience, from our world-class Azuma trains and award-winning app, to extending our booking horizon, simplifying tickets and investing in our stations.
“We are also working with our wider industry partners to deliver transformational upgrades to the railway network to enable even smoother, greener and more comfortable journeys, as we encourage even more people to travel by rail.”
The latest ORR data for the quarter between January and March 2023 can be found here: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/2207/passenger-rail-usage-jan-mar-2023.pdf
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, said: “The past quarter shows us that demand for rail has changed and as an industry we need to move with it. The financial challenge remains stark, as commuter and business travel remain below pre-pandemic levels, but there is a strong demand for leisure travel.
“If our customers want to travel at the weekend, then we need to reform working practices to ensure we can provide reliable, punctual services when they need it.”
Responding to the ORR’s latest passenger usage statistics, John Thomas, director of policy at Rail Partners said: “The increase in passengers travelling by train in the last quarter is positive, however these statistics demonstrate the negative impact of prolonged industrial action on the railway and underline the importance of giving operators the ability to attract customers back to the railway following the pandemic.
“What’s clear from the data is that where more commercial freedoms exist, such as for open access operators, passengers are returning more quickly. To meet the financial challenges the railway faces and harness the potential of rail as an engine for green growth, government must urgently push ahead with contractual reform to give operators greater commercial freedoms and drive further recovery.”
Photo credit: LNER
