Millions more passengers using West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services – official report

Rail operators West Midlands Railway (WMR) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) have reported a huge jump in passenger numbers following the publication of official industry figures.

A recent report from the Office of Rail Road showed a massive 12% year-on-year increase in the number of people using the sister operators’ services in the first quarter of 2025/26, equating to more than two million extra journeys.

In total WMR and LNR carried a combined 67.7 million passengers in 2024/25 and this figure is forecast to rise to more than 80 million journeys in 2025/26.

The increase follows the introduction of more LNR services in December 2024, the rollout of two brand new train fleets and increased demand for leisure travel across the network, particularly at weekends. The introduction of contactless payment to more stations in south-east has contributed to an increased number of journeys on London commuter routes.

The figures put WMR and LNR, operated by Transport UK, in the top five rail operators nationally for passenger growth.

Ian McConnell, WMR and LNR managing director, said: “Demand for travel on our services has sky-rocketed over the past year, particularly on our longer-distance routes to and from London Euston where we are attracting new customers to rail.

“Following the pandemic we saw a slow but steady return to rail but in the last 12 months we have seen record increases on some routes as even more customers take advantage of our excellent value fares and additional services. A thriving railway is good for passengers and taxpayers alike.

“With our recently-introduced new electric train fleet now providing 20% more capacity to and from London Euston, we look forward to continuing this trend and welcoming even more passengers on board in 2026.”

Next year passenger growth is expected to continue with five brand new stations due to open on the West Midlands Railway network and the continued introduction of London Northwestern Railway’s popular new Class 730 electric fleet on more services.

London Northwestern Railway also hopes to begin running services to Manchester Airport for the first time from December 2026, providing a direct link to the international airport from major cities including Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent.

One in ten journeys between Manchester and London Euston is already made in part using LNR services, despite the operator not currently serving Manchester directly

Some of the most popular value-for-money fares on LNR routes include:

• Birmingham New Street to/from London Euston from £9 one-way (£5.95 with a railcard)
• Liverpool Lime Street to/from London Euston from £14 one-way (£9.30 with a railcard)

For more information visit www.wmr.uk or www.lnr.uk