However there are big differences between operators in this respect, with some showing significant increases in average trip length, and others significant decreases (which could indicate an increase in split ticketing).
Bigger growth in peak time tickets is another signal that there is more work / business travel trickling back. Small growth in off-peak trip numbers, but reduction in average distance is another signal that commuters are flexing their travel times to travel off-peak.
Season tickets remain something of a thing of the past, a lower % of trips than 12 months ago.
The cash freeze in regulated tickets shows up as an increase in anytime / peak trips / distance - but no revenue increase, and hence a income reduction per pax km. Not the end of the world for a largely fixed cost operation - until you run out of capacity at which point it gets very sticky if you don't have any more revenue to expand capacity.
By combining train km and vehicle km we can determine changes to average train length. (both these numbers include ECS moves)
- TfW +17%
- Merseyrail +8.7%
- CrossCountry +4.7%
- Northern - no significant change.
https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/2hto1os3/passenger-rail-usage-oct-dec-2025.pdf