New data from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has revealed that Great Britain’s rail network recorded 1.83 billion journeys between April 2025 and March 2026 – the highest number ever recorded.
This latest annual figure exceeds the previous record of 1.75 billion journeys recorded between April 2028 and March 2019, and is also up 6% on the 1.73 billion journeys recorded last year.
Theorising the reason for the increase; the ORR has suggested that new infrastructure, the return of passengers following the pandemic and ticket types have all influenced official usage figures, as has the introduction of the Elizabeth line, which alone saw 257.4 million journeys between April 2025 and March 2026 .
Season ticket use has continued to increase since the pandemic, with 234 million journeys made – a 4% increase on the previous year, but still falling short of the 588 million before the pandemic.
Elsewhere, off peak journeys have also risen from 799 million to 844 million – a 6% increase – whilst total fare revenue (12.32 billion GBP) still falls short of pre-pandemic totals of 13.39 billion.
Data shows that passengers are buying tickets differently, with an increase in the use of split ticketing, where two or more tickets are bought for a journey at a lower price than a single ticket, thereby counted as more than one journey.
Graham Richards, Director, Planning and Performance, said:It’s great news that more people than ever are using the railway.
The Elizabeth line has been a massive boost to rail, but behind the record-breaking usage figures there is a significant shift to how and when we use the rail network. As more people are using the railway it's important to have a relentless focus in ensuring trains are punctual and reliable as possible.
