Figures unveiled in the Passenger Rail Usage 2018-19 Q4 Statistical Release, published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on June 13 show passenger journeys using ordinary tickets increased by 5% compared with 2017-18, driven by a 6.9% growth in anytime tickets. In contrast, the number of journeys made using season tickets fell for the third consecutive year, down 0.4%, with season tickets now holding a market share of 36%, down from 48% a decade ago.
In 2018-19, there were 1.217 billion journeys in the London and South East sector, 393 million of the Regional sector and 147 million journeys in the Long Distance sector. The highest increase in 2018-19 was in the London and South East sector (3.9%) which accounts for nearly 70% of total journeys.
Total passenger revenue reached £10.3bn in 2018-19, with annual revenue growth of 6.1%, the highest since 2014-15.
The increase in passenger revenue was driven by a 7% rise in the London and South East sector, which contributes to half of the total revenue, and reached a record high of £5.1bn in 2018-19.
