The
latest
statistics
from
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
show
that
revenue
from
train
fares
rose
by
14
per
cent
to
£10.4
billion
between
April
2023
and
March
2024,
but
at
a
slower
rate
of
increase
than
journeys,
which
were
up
by
16
per
cent
(writes
Sim
Harris).
The
ORR’s
method
of
counting
journeys
is
a
little
eccentric,
because
it
says
it
counts
every
train
used
in
the
course
of
an
end-to-end
trip,
which
naturally
inflates
the
total
of
journeys,
as
does
split
ticketing.
Counting
every
train
used
to
get
from
A
to
B
is
not,
in
itself,
an
exact
science,
because
unless
a
passenger
is
travelling
on
a
train-specific
Advance
ticket
(they
only
account
for
about
8
per
cent
of
journeys)
or
on
a
route
where
only
one
train
would
be
used
(such
as
London
Paddington
to
Didcot
Parkway,
or
Edinburgh
to
Darlington),
the
ORR
cannot
always
know
what
individual
trains
were
involved.
Quite
apart
from
deliberately
breaking
a
journey,
a
passenger
may
be
travelling
on
a
route
where
there
are
some
through
services
but
where
a
connection
is
needed
at
other
times.
But
allowing
for
this
statistical
blurring,
the
ORR
is
on
safer
ground
when
it
counts
up
the
pennies.
If
the
number
of
journeys
is
increasing,
why
are
they
not
earning
the
same
proportion
of
additional
revenue?
One
answer
might
be
that
the
journey
calculations
are
more
flawed
than
we
think,
and
another
might
be
that
journeys
are,
on
average,
getting
shorter.
Some
are.
The
average
number
of
kilometres
covered
by
an
average
journey
between
April
and
June
this
year
was
down
by
3
per
cent
on
regional
journeys
and
also
down
by
0.2
per
cent
in
London
&
South
East.
The
total
rose
on
long
distance
services
by
0.6
per
cent,
but
as
London
&
East
makes
the
largest
contribution,
any
change
there
would
have
the
greatest
effect
on
the
totals.
Another
factor
is
commuters.
The
number
of
commuters,
particularly
five-days-a-week
commuters,
has
been
falling
for
a
long
time.
Commuters
are
not
counted
as
such,
but
the
total
of
journeys
made
on
season
tickets
used
to
be
a
reasonable
substitute.
Between
April
and
June
2019,
33
per
cent
of
journeys
were
made
using
season
tickets,
but
in
the
same
quarter
this
year
the
percentage
was
down
to
12
per
cent.
But
it
seems
at
least
possible
that
some
part-time
commuters
still
travelling
in
the
peaks
on
some
days
find
that
Anytime
tickets
are
cheaper
than
seasons,
even
‘flexible’
ones.
Although
Covid
appears
to
have
dented
season
ticket
sales,
it
may
have
simply
accelerated
an
existing
trend.
The
34
per
cent
recorded
in
2019-20
was
significantly
less
than
the
45
per
cent
in
2009-2010,
for
example.
If
people
only
use
trains
to
get
to
work
two
or
three
times
a
week
without
buying
season
tickets
revenue
might
go
down,
but
it
is
worth
bearing
in
mind
that
some
seasons
offer
a
discount
of
more
than
60
per
cent
on
the
Anytime
fare,
and
so
passengers
buying
Anytime
tickets
are
paying
more,
not
less,
for
each
journey
they
make.
Changing
circumstances
also
distort
statistics.
The
Elizabeth
Line
is
doing
very
well,
but
at
least
some
of
its
users
will
have
been
diverted
from
London
Underground
(particularly
the
Central
Line)
or
the
Docklands
Light
Railway.
All
Elizabeth
Line
travel
is
counted
as
part
of
National
Rail,
but
the
Underground
and
DLR
are
not.
So
when
the
central
London
section
of
the
Elizabeth
Line
opened
in
2022,
did
it
tip
the
balance
away
from
Transport
for
London
in
favour
of
National
Rail?
Other
factors
which
may
have
distorted
recent
figures
are
the
low
level
of
performance
achieved
by
some
operators,
and
the
widespread
disruption
caused
by
repeated
industrial
action.
This
all
goes
to
show
that
coming
to
easy
conclusions
about
travel
statistics
may
be
just
a
little
too
easy,
and
such
conclusions
should
be
treated
with
care.
