Local Passenger Growth to April 2023
The annual Station Usage figures were published by the Rail Regulator on 12th December and cover the year from April 2022 to March 2023 a substantial part of which was impacted by cancellations as a result of strikes and, on some routes, staff shortages.
During the year eight new stations opened: Inverness Airport and Reston in Scotland, Barking Riverside and five stations on the Elizabeth Line in Greater London. Part-year figures for these stations have been included in this analysis. There are now a record 2,578 stations with a recorded footfall in the tables (1997=2,516).
By the end of the calendar year another seven new stations had opened: Green Park (Reading), Marsh Barton (Devon), Portway Park & Ride (Bristol), Thanet Parkway (Kent), Headbolt Lane (Merseyside), Brent Cross (London) and East Linton (Scottish Borders). White Rose (West Yorkshire) is likely to join them before April.
As last year it is not possible to talk about a growth in passenger numbers. However, it is clear that in April 2023 the recovery was continuing but the picture, compared to the figures four years ago in 2018/19, was uneven with Wales (66.6%) and Scotland (66.8%) lower than England (76.6%) or Greater London (86.6%) where 57% of all passengers in England arrived.
At a regional level there are some significant differences. The recovery was highest in the North East (95.3%) and South West (89.3%), followed by the East Midlands (81.9%) and Yorkshire (80.9%); whilst the Eastern Region (76.6%), North West (77.9%) and South East (74.4%) were lagging behind with the West Midlands (66.8%) well behind. This is a notable contrast to the pre-Covid years when growth in the West Midlands was often amongst the highest in the country.
However, at County/Unitary level there is good news, with some individual local authorities now having more rail passengers than in 2018/19. Examples in the north include Blackpool (122%), Middlesbrough (107%), Redcar (104%) and Blackburn (101%); whilst in the south, Exeter (107%), parts of Devon (104%) and Cornwall (100%) have reached their previous totals.
Despite the very low average recovery in the West Midlands Region most individual Shire Counties have regained at least 75% of their previous passenger numbers; the exception being the former PTE / Centro area which at just 64% - one of the lowest in the country. Could this be caused by inadequate spot counting during the post Covid period?
In fact the local picture is disappointing, with only 17 stations in the West Midlands recording a higher footfall than in 2018 - compared to 20 in the five counties of the East Midlands Region (where there are only 108 stations). Looking eight years back, 30 stations in the West Midlands now record a higher footfall than in 2014 - compared to 36 in the East Midlands Region.
Taken together, the three central Birmingham stations only achieved a 64% recovery whereas at Wolverhampton the numbers were 84% of the 2018/19 figure. However, April 2023 is now nine months ago and more recent reports from the Rail Regulator suggest that the general recovery has continued strongly through the summer.
Looking around our region in more detail, two of the stations in Herefordshire have recovered most of their former passengers; Leominster (94%) and Hereford (90%), with nearby Craven Arms (90%) heading the list in Shropshire. In Staffordshire, growth at Stone (128%) has clearly resumed whilst the simplified electric service on the Chase Line is proving popular with strong growth at Landywood (121%), Cannock (112%), Hednesford (110%) and Rugeley Town (105%); elsewhere Longport (104%) and Uttoxeter (91%) are worth a mention.
Amongst the former Centro area stations there has also been strong growth at Bloxwich (153%) and Bloxwich North (165%) on the Chase Line, and also at Duddeston (112%) and Adderley Park (104%), with a partial recovery at Coseley (92%) and Canley (91%).
Taking a brief look at the East Midlands, passenger numbers at Matlock and Ilkeston have recovered and there is strong growth on the Hope Valley Line - where the reported destination is mainly Sheffield. In Northamptonshire we can see that the introduction of the new electric service has led since 2018 to strong growth at Corby (133%).
Further south a number of stations in the greater Bristol area are recording strong growth this year which more than justifies the investment planned in enhanced local services and new local stations.