Railways: Finance

(asked on 3rd November 2025) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year; and what estimate her Department has made of the net Government funding of the rail sector was per passenger, per journey in each financial year between 2025-26 and 2029-30.


Answered by
Keir Mather Portrait
Keir Mather
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This question was answered on 11th November 2025

The Department for Transport's support for the 14 contracted operators and Network Rail was £9.60 per passenger journey in 2023/24 and £8.47 in 2024/25.  It is currently estimated that this will steadily decrease to circa £7.40 in 2028/29, primarily driven by a declining rail passenger services subsidy as passenger ridership and revenue continue to recover post COVID-19 and efficiencies and savings are made through public ownership.

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