The latest data on passenger numbers shows that more people are now travelling with Hull Trains than before the pandemic, and that the operator has the strongest recovery in UK journey numbers.

The latest passenger rail usage report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which can be accessed here, shows that 28% more passenger journeys were made in the quarter April-June 2023 than in the same period in 2019, and 31% more than in the same quarter last year. Hull Trains delivered 358,000 journeys in the last quarter compared to 270,000 in the same quarter in 2022.

Hull Trains attributes its success to its status as an Open Access operator. The ORR data shows that numbers travelling with Long Distance Operators on the East Coast Mainline are now 18% higher than 2019, whereas the industry overall is still 11% below 2019 levels.

Another Open Access operator, Lumo, has carried over two million new rail journeys on the East Coast route since launching in October 2021.

Hull Trains argues that this success underscores the operators’ commitment of to innovate and provide more sustainable transport options, thereby reducing the environmental impact compared to travelling by road and flying within the UK.

Hull Trains offers, as an example, its decision to use ten-carriage trains in response to passenger demand, and adding extra journeys for major sporting events such as the Rugby League Challenge Cup final to support local team, Hull Kingston Rovers.

Managing Director Martijn Gilbert said: “This remarkable achievement is testament to the great service provided by our team at Hull Trains. Since our investment in a brand-new fleet of trains in 2019, we have continued to focus on delivering a great value, low carbon, dependable and friendly way of travelling on our route.

“The long-distance rail market has a much greater leisure travel make-up compared to 2019, so we are committed to doing even more to meet this demand. We look forward to continuing to improve our offer to customers, including a new standard class food and drink refreshment option which will go live later next month, to make Hull Trains an even better choice for more customers.”