The number of passenger journeys on British railways has exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time, with 1.836 billion journeys made between April 2025 and March 2026.

According to figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the highest figure before the pandemic was in 2019-20, when 1.74 billion journeys were made.

However, the collapse in regular monthly and annual season-ticket purchases by commuters who can work from home a couple of days a week means revenue remains down from pre-pandemic levels.

For the April 2025 and March 2026 period, fare revenues came in at £12.32 billion, which the ORR notes is 8% lower than the pre-pandemic total of £13.39 billion.

However, that comparison overlooks the impact of inflation, and rail revenues would need to be around £17 billion today to exceed pre-pandemic revenues in real terms.

So there’s a huge gap still to fill.

Commenting, Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “The news from the ORR that passenger numbers are at record levels is no surprise, and backs up what we at the Railway Industry Association have been saying for several years now, in terms of the post-Covid return to rail.”

“So the overall message is clear. Let’s be positive about rail’s future and, working with rail reform, build and enhance the railway network so that rail customers – passengers and freight – get the connectivity they need to boost the country’s economic growth in the years ahead.”