Northern Nears 100 Million Journeys in Strongest Post-Pandemic Year

Passenger numbers on Northern services climbed to their highest level since the pandemic last year, with close to 100 million journeys recorded across the operator’s network in 2025.

The train company logged 98.6 million passenger journeys during the calendar year, marking a 10% rise compared with 2024. The increase equates to an extra 8.8 million journeys and highlights sustained growth in rail use across the North of England.

Commuter travel played a significant role in the upturn. Journeys made using season tickets rose by 10% year-on-year, amounting to just under one million additional trips, as more people returned to rail for regular travel to work.

Major city routes saw the strongest growth. Passenger journeys into Manchester increased by 12%, while Liverpool recorded a 19% rise. Leeds saw growth of 7%, and Newcastle experienced the largest increase, with journeys up 27% compared with December 2024.

Demand peaked towards the end of the year, with December 2025 proving the busiest December since before the pandemic. More than eight million journeys were made during the month, a 12% increase on December 2024.

Travel into Newcastle was further boosted by the Northumberland Line, which opened in mid-December 2024. Over the course of 2025, the route carried more than 890,000 passengers and contributed an additional 37,000 journeys into the city during December alone.

Alex Hornby, Commercial and Customer Director at Northern, said:

“2025 was a landmark year for Northern in terms of customer growth. Nearly 100 million journeys in a year shows just how important our services are to the economic and social life of the North, and the strong growth we continue to see is further evidence we are moving in the right direction. It is reassuring to see the considerable increases in demand from commuters and on services into our major city centres, alongside the success of new routes like the Northumberland Line. That tells us people want frequent, affordable and reliable rail. We’re focused on building on this momentum by continuing to improve the experience for our customers, but we're not complacent. We're working harder than ever to deliver the performance that customers rightly expect, and there will be even more enhancements coming to our network throughout 2026."

Image: Northern