Rail passengers travelled 67.7 billion kilometres during the course of last year, equivalent to flying to the moon and back almost 88,000 times.

There were a record 1.8bn passenger journeys in 2018-19, generating over £10bn in revenue, the highest rate in four years.

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The number of rail journeys increased from just under 51m in 2017-18 after travel in London and the south east saw a boost after two years of decline.

The latest statistics by the rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reveals that the increase in passenger revenue was largely driven by a rise in journeys in London and South east sector. These journeys contributed to half of the total £10bn figure.

Rail passengers travelled a total of 67.7 billion kms in 2018-19 equivalent to flying to the moon and back almost 88,000 times. See each train operator’s record at https://t.co/1ujWtrgXPy pic.twitter.com/Jdk40iVNb0 — ORR (@railandroad) June 13, 2019

Journeys using ordinary tickets increased on the previous year, while passengers continued to shun season tickets fell for the third year in a row. Market share of season ticket journeys came to 36 per cent in 2018-19, down from 48 per cent a decade ago.

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Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, said: “Rail companies are changing and improving today, running thousands of extra services every week so that more people can benefit from taking the train and our communities are better connected.

The long-term decline in season tickets, despite the continued growth in commuting, shows that the rail fares system needs to change to match how people live and work today. This is why we want to work with government on proposals to update regulation that would support flexible working.”