Passenger journeys rise - but growth rate slows
The total number of rail passenger journeys made in 2017-18 increased by 0.4% compared with the previous 12-month period, to a record 1.475 billion - more than double the figure recorded in 1995-96.
However, this is the smallest increase since 2009-10, largely as a result of a decrease in the number of passenger journeys in London, according to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on January 28.
ORR attributes this to a reduction is season ticket journeys, and a drop in Govia Thameslink Railway and South Western Railway journeys due to industrial disputes, planned cancellations and engineering works.
London remains by far the biggest region in terms of journey numbers, although the number of total journeys fell by 0.4% to 926.5 million. This was the second year in a row that overall journeys for the capital has decreased.
The number of journeys between London and other regions increased by 0.8% to 407.6 million, with the largest growth between London and Scotland (up 12.1%). However, journeys within London fell by 1.4% to 518.9 million, with the Inner London-East area (which accounts for 42% of all journeys within the capital) falling by 1.3%.
There were four regions where the total number of journeys made to/from other regions was greater than those made purely within that region: the North East, East Midlands, East of England and the South East.
Nationally, the number of journeys within regions remained almost the same as in 2016-17 (at 992 million, down 350,000), but the number of journeys made within regions decreased slightly, for the first time since 2009-10.
Scotland topped the growth charts with an increase of 3.2% to 102 million journeys, followed by the North East (up 2.5% to 16 million), West Midlands (up 2.5% to 93.7 million) and the East Midlands (up 2.4% to 35.6 million).
In the South East, although the number of journeys rose by 1.2% to 303.8 million, growth to and from London was just 0.2%, the lowest since 2009-10. Season ticket falls are also believed to have affected the number of journeys made in the East of England.
In the South West, the number of journeys fell by 0.5% compared with the previous year (to 52.2 million), the first fall in passenger numbers since 1995-96. Journeys between the South West and other regions remained static, but those to London fell by 3.3% - blamed on engineering works at London Waterloo, industrial action and bad weather in March 2018.
Journey flows to and from the South East and Wales increased, helping to offset this effect. Journeys with an origin and/or a destination in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath and Bristol (which accounted for 51% of journeys within the region) fell by 2.5%.