Number of train journeys taken last year up 12% on 2022, new figures show

The annual National Rail Census provides a count of the number of passengers who boarded every service at all 150 stations across the 2,400km rail network on a single day in November, covering intercity services, commuter routes, and Dart trains.

Rail travel is increasing in popularity, with the number of train journeys taken up 12%, according to a national snapshot survey.

The latest results of the annual survey on rail passenger numbers, conducted by the National Transport Authority, show a total of 178,682 journeys were taken across the country’s rail network on November 9 last year.

The annual National Rail Census provides a count of the number of passengers who boarded every service at all 150 stations across the 2,400km rail network on a single day in November, covering intercity services, commuter routes, and Dart trains.

The results show passenger numbers on all services increased last year, with the exception of Cork commuter services — covering trains between Cork and Mallow, Tralee, Cobh, and Midleton — which were down 7% to 8,427.

However, the NTA pointed out a major sporting event took place in Cork on census day in 2022 — a rugby match between Munster and South Africa — which is likely to have resulted in higher-than-normal passenger numbers that year.

The number of rail journeys in the greater Dublin area was up 15% annually to 144,513, with strong growth recorded on commuter services on the Longford and Kildare lines.

Dart services accounted for 40% of all rail journeys, although the figure is down from the pre-pandemic level of 44%.

A total of 71,896 journeys were recorded on Dart trains during the 2023 rail census — up 11% annually but still below the pre-pandemic peak of almost 82,000 in 2018.

Journeys on intercity services were also up 11%, to 37,690, while the number of passengers on regional lines covering trains from Limerick serving Ennis, Galway, Ballybrophy, Limerick Junction, and Waterford was up 14% to almost 4,500.

Connolly Station in Dublin retained its position as the country’s busiest station, with more than 35,500 boardings and alightings on census day, followed by Pearse, Heuston, and Tara Street.

Cork is the highest-ranking station outside Dublin in fifth place, with Bray, Co Wicklow, and Maynooth, Co Kildare, also featuring in the Top 10.

The least busy station was located in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, on the Limerick-Ballybrophy line, which recorded a total of 10 passengers passing through it.

The census report shows 12 stations each generated in excess of 5,000 journeys on a typical day in 2023.

The number of stations with 300 or fewer daily journeys fell from 48 in 2022 to 43 last year.

The busiest train service on census day was the 8.10am Dart from Malahide to Bray, which carried 913 passengers between Clontarf Road and Connolly.

The busiest intercity train was the 5.25am Galway-Heuston service, which had a total of 512 passengers between Sallins and Naas and Heuston, while the busiest commuter train was the 6.12am Longford-Pearse service, which had 692 passengers on board between Pelletstown and Broombridge.

The NTA said the results of the National Rail Census provide “a snapshot of patronage” across the country at all stations and on all services on a particular day but were not intended to represent an accurate picture of overall passenger numbers on trains.

Separately, Iarnród Éireann reported 45.5 million passenger journeys in 2023 — a 27% increase over the previous year, with 9.7 million extra journeys recorded last year.