Steer’s production of new rail demand data for ORR shows renewed momentum across Great Britain
Fresh ORR data produced by Steer shows rail demand stabilising across Britain, with consistent growth and converging patterns shaping the next phase of network planning.
New ORR data shows that Britain’s rail market demonstrated renewed stability across the 2024-25 financial year.
Our analysis of the latest Estimates of Station Usage data and Origin Destination Matrix, published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), reveals that rail passenger journeys grew 7% year-on-year, continuing the gradual return to consistent, predictable rail use across the country following the pandemic. The latest statistical release can be found on ORR’s website:
Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal
The data, released on 4 December 2025 and produced annually by Steer for the ORR for over a decade, is derived predominantly from ticket sales data and complemented by drawing on additional data sources and a series of adjustments.
We have split the Origin Destination Matrix into six markets to show how recovery from pre-pandemic demand figures has varied over the past five years:
Key highlights from Steer’s analysis of the output data include:
- Growth is consistent across regions: Station usage patterns behind the national figures show steady, broad-based increases across hubs, regional interchanges and local commuter stations. This points to a trend for people using the network for varied journey purposes with more flexible patterns.
- Airport-related rail demand growth is more varied: Heathrow provides a strong example of this divergence, with overall rail demand increasing by around 22%, supported by rising mode share on the Elizabeth Line and a year-on-year increase in airport passengers, as demonstrated in the table below:
What this means for the industry
This year’s ORR data largely presents a network growing consistently across regions, supported by converging demand patterns. This should provide the sector with a more predictable base for long-term transport planning.
To explore the data in detail, our updated interactive origin destination matrix (ODM) journeys map lets users search any station to understand local journey patterns for 2024-25.
If you’d like support understanding the latest ORR dataset or exploring what these trends mean for your organisation and place-based strategies, contact Mark Brownie or Adam Stevens.
