Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the (a) proportion of the UK population that never or rarely uses the railway and (b) the revenue potential of that group.

In 2022, 45 per cent of people in England said that they use surface rail less than once a year or never. A further 18 per cent say they use the rail once or twice per year. (table NTS0313)

The Great British Railways Transition Team and individual rail operators undertake their own work to understand the potential revenue from people that could be attracted to using rail more in the future. The Great British Rail Sale currently underway is a prime example of the initiatives the industry is taking, supported by the department, to attract more people to rail, helping grow revenue and reduce public subsidy.