Grand Central Passenger Numbers Highest Increase of all Operators since Covid

Following the publication of ORR’s latest passenger numbers, Grand Central is topping the table as the train operator with the highest relative increase in numbers since the start of the COVID pandemic. As the industry strives to reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers, Grand Central has recorded the largest percentage point increase in the latest quarter.

Sean English, Chief Operating Officer for Grand Central, says: “We’re thrilled to see us ahead of every other train operator in the country for more passengers choosing to travel with us compared to the start of the pandemic. We’ve worked incredibly hard to encourage passengers to return to travelling with Grand Central and the ORR figures prove that not only are they returning, but they are travelling with us more than they were before COVID.

“It’s also fantastic to see the overall figures for the industry increasing every quarter, which shows the commitment of all of the train operators to bring customers back to the railway. Thanks to our investment in marketing campaigns and digital technology, we’re sure these figures will continue to increase in the future.”

The ORR figures show April to June 2021, compared to the same period in 2022. Grand Central’s figures have increased by 77.6%, bringing the overall figure to 112% based on pre-pandemic numbers.

ENDS

For further information contact Grand Central's PR representative Gemma Colley via gemma.colley@grandcentralrail.com

Notes to Editors

Grand Central Railway Company Limited is an established train operator which provides direct rail connections from towns and cities in Yorkshire and the North East England with London.
Customer satisfaction levels are consistently high and the rail company was named Britain’s best value rail operator for the tenth time in the Spring 2020 National Rail Passenger Survey. In 2020 the same survey saw Grand Central rated overall best operator for customer satisfaction

Grand Central operates West Riding services between Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Wakefield Kirkgate, Pontefract Monkhill, Doncaster and London King’s Cross. The rail operator also operates North East services between Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, York and London King’s Cross.

Grand Central is part of the Arriva group. Arriva is one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing over 53,000 people and delivering 2 billion passenger journeys a year across 14 European countries. We are part of Deutsche Bahn (DB), one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies, and are responsible for DB's regional passenger transport services outside Germany.