Rail station usage: April 2020 to March 2021

For the last two publications, we had scaled back this report from the usual statistical bulletin as we prioritised resources towards analysis on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For this year, we are publishing a statistical bulletin with a reduced level of detail and welcome user feedback on the content, dissemination and frequency of this report.

Main points

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• Rail station usage in 2020-21 (1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021) was significantly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In Wales, rail passenger usage decreased by 77.1% when compared to the previous year (2019-20).
• There was a decrease of 82.8% in the total number of station entries and exits in Wales in 2020-21 compared with the previous year.
• Over the year, there was a fall in the number of entries and exits at all stations across Wales.
• In 2021-20 there were 223 rail stations in Wales, an increase of one station from 2019-20.
• Cardiff Central remains the busiest station in Wales with 22.8% of all station entries and exits.
• Rail station usage in Wales accounts for around 1.8% of the UK total. Of the 20 busiest stations in Wales, more than half are part of the Valley Lines network (not including Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street).