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Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
 
Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by Mark A at 22:19, 1st January 2026
 
From another thread, a site that displays point to point passenger numbers.

The figures for Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford are wild - a bit of a rollercoaster. But there will probably be other curious examples elsewhere.

https://trainslive.uk/odm/journey.php?origin=WOS&destination=OXF

Mark

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by Electric train at 09:33, 2nd January 2026
 
From another thread, a site that displays point to point passenger numbers.

The figures for Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford are wild - a bit of a rollercoaster. But there will probably be other curious examples elsewhere.

https://trainslive.uk/odm/journey.php?origin=WOS&destination=OXF

Mark

It does not surprise that its been a rollercoaster of the last 3 or 4 years, the pandemic certainly accelerated things like "working from home" and "cashless society" I suspect it will take 3 or 4 more years, maybe longer for the actual trends to "normalise".  In a decade or so time the recovery patterns and trends will be a lot clear to understand

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by Noggin at 09:48, 2nd January 2026
 
I wonder to what extent point-to-point journey figures are distorted by split save? Certainly it feels like it's a long time since I did a journey on XC which wasn't split.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by PhilWakely at 11:19, 2nd January 2026
 
I wonder to what extent point-to-point journey figures are distorted by split save? Certainly it feels like it's a long time since I did a journey on XC which wasn't split.

Significantly! As is station footfall sadly! Whilst my local community (can't call it a village any more) of Pinhoe has grown significantly with development over the recent past, the station is a popular split for long distance tickets. The increase in station usage shown in various statistics cannot be just folk genuinely starting and ending their journeys there.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by grahame at 11:25, 2nd January 2026
 
I wonder to what extent point-to-point journey figures are distorted by split save? Certainly it feels like it's a long time since I did a journey on XC which wasn't split.

Several years ago, and ORR estimates for individual stations had added an adjustment to account for split ticketing.  And the station by station flow data (ODM) adds up to the numbers in the ORR estimated and thus it follows that the adjustment applies there too.

Split ticketing is where a passenger completes a single journey using two or more
tickets. Total entries and exits at some individual stations will be significantly over
estimated due to some passengers not boarding or alighting at the split point and
instead staying on the train.

From April 2022 to March 2023 year we have introduced an adjustment to account
for split ticketing in the LENNON data. Rail Delivery Group have developed an
algorithm to detect split tickets, and we have incorporated this into our data
processing. Therefore, in the latest year (April 2022 to March 2023) we only count an
entry and exit at the start of the journey and end of the journey, whereas previously
an entry and exit would have been recorded at each split point along the way.

Also of note

Ranger/Rover infills (“Other”) – Rover and Ranger products, e.g. Ride Cornwall,
Cambrian Coaster, Anglia Plus, are tickets with non-geographic destinations so
estimates are developed to represent passenger flows on a selected number of
these tickets;

and for Devoners

The ‘Digby and Sowton’ adjustment (“D&S”) – relates to journeys associated
with a season ticket product for students which are being made to Exeter
Central and Exeter St. David’s on tickets with a recorded destination of Digby
and Sowton. Adjustment uses data provided by Great Western Railway;


And there are some more - some interesting clues in some cases into innovative ticketing.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by grahame at 11:32, 2nd January 2026
 
I wonder to what extent point-to-point journey figures are distorted by split save? Certainly it feels like it's a long time since I did a journey on XC which wasn't split.

Significantly! As is station footfall sadly! Whilst my local community (can't call it a village any more) of Pinhoe has grown significantly with development over the recent past, the station is a popular split for long distance tickets. The increase in station usage shown in various statistics cannot be just folk genuinely starting and ending their journeys there.

It is - always - worth a quick thought on splitting when analysing figures - and indeed over / under runs too.  Historically,  a lot of people bought "Melksham Specials" with no intent of travelling to, from or through Melksham and I know a host of examples where it's better to buy a longer distance ticket.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by ChrisB at 11:59, 2nd January 2026
 
Indeed, me too - and it's one ticket 'type' yet to be offered within other ticket apps/planners that have split ticket functionality.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by TaplowGreen at 14:16, 2nd January 2026
 
Very interesting

Taplow to Paddington shows a 54.2% drop and (perhaps a better representation!) Maidenhead to Paddington a 36.6% drop - I think that'd almost certainly be due to increased WFH in the Thames Valley.

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by ChrisB at 15:23, 2nd January 2026
 
People travelling in on Elizabeth Line & going to central/East London, rather than exiting @ Paddington & accessing buses/tubes

Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by Electric train at 20:33, 2nd January 2026
 
Very interesting

Taplow to Paddington shows a 54.2% drop and (perhaps a better representation!) Maidenhead to Paddington a 36.6% drop - I think that'd almost certainly be due to increased WFH in the Thames Valley.

Yet the MAI to FZP show an overal trend of 36.1%

And if you look at MAI to CWX (Canary Wharf) 257.1%  and TAP to CWX 285.8%  And looking at Farringdon you get some wacky % my point is the traditional journeys patterns of the pre pandemic on the TV line are skewed because the Elizabeth Line did not exist, terminating destinations will have altered from PAD to many others


Re: Point to point passenger numbers since the pandemic
Posted by grahame at 21:11, 2nd January 2026
 
To the South of London, the London Chatham and Dover has termini at Victoria and Holborn Viaduct for the West End and City.  The South Eastern Railway had termini at Charing Cross.  The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway had termini at Victoria and London Bridge. The London South Western Railway had a terminus at Waterloo and then The Drain to take people to Bank.  By contrast, to the west of London, the Great Western Railway petered out rather in W2 with everyone headed for the Wet End or the City needing onward travel.

Lessons

- no great surprise that with trains running once again through Paddington (they use to on the Met), passenger numbers ending at Paddington have plummeted

- Paddington is not Waterloo - far from it, a different place and case - and it was a dis-service to withdraw Bristol and Bath trains to Waterloo.

 
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