Rail transport: April 2018 to March 2019

Revision note

Rail Transport statistics for 2018-19 were first published on 29 April 2020. However, due to errors in  the original data from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) the statistics were revised by ORR on 10 May 2020. The revised statistics show a reduced number of rail station entries and exits than had initially been published. The initial data published by ORR showed an increase in the number of rail passenger journeys in Wales of 8 %, while the revised figures show an increase of 0.2 %.

More detail on the issues identified by ORR can be found in their revisions log.

This report has been scaled back from the usual statistical bulletin as we prioritise resources towards analysis on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Main points

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• The number of rail passenger journeys in Wales increased by 0.2% in 2018-19 compared with the previous year.
• There were 31.1 million rail passenger journeys which either started or ended in Wales in 2018-19, compared with 31.0 million in 2017-18. Two-thirds (70%) of these journeys were within Wales. StatsWales
• Rail passenger journeys within Wales increased to 21.6 million in 2018-19, an 0.7% increase on 2017-18.
• Cardiff was the most common destination for within-Wales journeys, accounting for 42% of all journeys. StatsWales
• In 2019 there were 9 railway fatalities, 5 of which were suicides.
• In recent years there have been between 8 and 15 suicides annually and between 1 and 4 other fatalities. StatsWales
• In 2018-19, offences on Welsh railways increased by 13.3%.
• There were 1,546 notifiable offences reported on Welsh railways in 2018-19, an increase of 182 from the previous year. StatsWales

Further information

Transport Focus also release tables on passenger satisfaction with rail operators in their National Rail Passenger Survey. However, these statistics are no longer National Statistics due to the survey only being carried out in the spring and autumn and also because they only ask respondents about their last journey, and not their broader satisfaction with the operator.

Further detailed tables can be found on StatsWales and key quality information can be found in last year’s release.