LNER see strong post-pandemic passenger recovery

Credit: LNER

Results published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is leading the way with post-pandemic passenger recovery. The results show that LNER saw the most customers return to its services when compared with pre-pandemic usage than any other franchised operator, topping the table for a record fifth consecutive quarter.

Data from LNER shows that more than 15 million passengers have travelled across its network so far this year, more than double than for the same period last year. LNER passenger numbers have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels with LNER becoming the first franchised train company in the country to reach this milestone, according to the ORR data.

“At LNER we are proud to lead the industry when it comes to welcoming people back to rail,” David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said. “For the past five consecutive quarters we have seen more and more passengers returning to our services. We believe our customer service and digital innovations are a key part of that success, offering people first-class customer service, greater choice and flexibility and that work continues. The LNER app and website make it simpler for people to plan their journeys and sign up for live journey updates.”

LNER were also recently named Travel Partner of the Year in the Rail Operator category of the Business Travel Awards Europe 2022 for the second year in a row. The prestigious awards, hosted by the Business Travel News Group, recognises and celebrates industry leadership, partnership and innovation across the travel sector. LNER was praised by the judges for its innovative approach in championing rail and raising the profile of the industry as well as its ‘excellent customer service’, innovation in onboard catering and its popular loyalty scheme LNER Perks, now with 500,000 members.