Railway industry hails 90% milestone on passenger numbers

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has responded to the Department for Transport's (DfT) latest statistics released on rail travel in Great Britain.

RIA has welcomed the fact that rail passenger numbers reached the milestone of 90% of pre-Covid levels on Thursday 19 May, and reached 92% in the following three days. The statistics show that passenger numbers are returning both during weekdays and weekends, approaching the highest levels since 15 March 2020.

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said:

"These figures show that people are returning to rail in ever greater numbers. In the week of 16-22 May, every day of the week saw passenger figures hitting between 86% and 92% of pre-Covid levels, less than three months since pandemic restrictions started being relaxed. This is not just leisure travel coming back - commuter travel, including Mondays and Fridays, has been steadily increasing too.

“So RIA continues to ask Government and the new Great British Railways not to base the 30-year strategy it is planning on the last two years. If the industry and decision makers work closely together to continue attracting passengers back, the future for rail really can be bright in the years ahead." 

1. See the DfT's latest transport use statistics here.
2. About RIA: The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is the voice of the UK rail supply community. We help to grow a sustainable, high-performing, railway supply industry, and to export UK rail expertise and products. RIA has 300+ companies in membership in a sector that contributes £43 billion in economic growth and £14 billion in tax revenue each year, as well as employing 710,000 people. It is also a vital industry for the UK’s economic recovery, supporting green investment and jobs in towns and communities across the UK; for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy. RIA’s membership is active across the whole of railway supply, covering a diverse range of products and services and including both multi-national companies and SMEs (60% by number). www.riagb.org.uk