ScotRail Sees Second Largest Increase in Passenger Journeys In Latest Financial Year Figures
A new study from Office of Rail and Road, analysed by West Somerset Railway has revealed that passenger rail journeys have surged by 27% on ScotRail in the latest financial year statistics compared to the previous year.
The Office of Rail and Road ‘Passenger rail usage, January to March 2024’ report shows that there were 81.1 million passenger journeys on ScotRail during the 2023-2024 financial year, a 27% increase from the 2022-2023 financial year, Placing them second overall.
Looking at the rest of the table, Elizabeth Line came first (54%), and Hull Trains came third (24%). The report also shows that passenger rail journeys have risen by 16% when compared to the previous year.
| Train Operator/Line | Passenger Journeys Apr 2023 to Mar 2024 | Percentage change from Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 |
| Elizabeth Line | 220 million | 54% |
| ScotRail | 81.1 million | 27% |
| Hull Trains | 1.4 million | 24% |
| Avanti West Coast | 32.8 million | 23% |
| TransPennine Express | 23.4 million | 22% |
| CrossCountry | 32.8 million | 18% |
| London Overground | 181 million | 15% |
| Caledonian Sleeper | 0.3 million | 15% |
| Greater Anglia | 76.4 million | 15% |
| TfW Rail | 26.2 million | 13% |
| East Midlands Railway | 28.9 million | 13% |
| Govia Thameslink Railway | 279 million | 11% |
| Merseyrail | 28.3 million | 11% |
| South Western Railway | 153 million | 11% |
| West Midlands Trains | 61.8 million | 10% |
| Grand Central | 1.8 million | 10% |
| Lumo | 1.3 million | 10% |
| Southeastern | 128 million | 9% |
| Chiltern | 21.1 million | 9% |
| Great Western Railway | 82.6 million | 7% |
| c2c | 35.8 million | 6% |
| Northern Trains | 85.1 million | 5% |
| London North Eastern Railway | 24.2 million | 3% |
| Heathrow Express | 4.5 million | -4% |
It was also revealed that passenger rail usage figures are edging closer to pre pandemic levels. Passenger journeys were recorded at 1.7 billion in the 2019-2020 financial year. In the latest financial year (2023-2024) those numbers were recorded at 1.6 billion.
Looking into this further, West Somerset Railway uncovered that there has been a 60% increase in recorded passenger journeys from 2021-2022 to 2023-2024.
| Financial Year | Passenger Journeys Recorded | Percentage Increase from 21-22 Financial Year |
| 2021-2022 | 1.0 billion | N/A |
| 2022-2023 | 1.4 billion | 40% |
| 2023-2024 | 1.6 billion | 60% |
Speaking on the newly released data, Samantha White from West Somerset Railway said: "It is amazing to see that passenger rail numbers are continuing to edge closer towards pre pandemic figures. The fact that there has been a huge 60% increase from 2021-2022 to this latest financial year is fantastic to see.
“On top of that, an increase of 230 million passenger journeys this financial year is really encouraging. This shows that after a difficult start to the decade, the rail industry continues to get back on its feet to the same level of strength it was before the pandemic.”