Yorkshire Coast Railway Usage Surpasses 2.3 Million Journeys

New figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that passenger usage across the Yorkshire Coast railway network has continued its strong recovery, reaching a total of 2.33 million entries and exits during the financial year spanning April 2024 to March 2025

This marks an increase from the 2.08 million total recorded in the previous year.

The estimates, which are primarily based on ticket sales data and local ticketing information, quantify the total number of people travelling to or from each station.

Scarborough Breaks the Million Mark

Scarborough remained the undeniable hub of coastal travel, becoming the first station outside Hull on the Yorkshire Coast to exceed one million annual entries and exits, recording 1,001,114 passenger movements. This station saw the highest number of overall journeys to or from a single destination, with 239,548 journeys connecting it with York.

The seaside town’s strong performance reflects a significant uplift from the 896,794 entries and exits recorded in the year prior.

Key Coastal Towns See Strong Flow

South along the coast, Bridlington proved to be the second busiest station, facilitating 546,078 entries and exits. The main flow of traffic for Bridlington was heavily directed towards Hull, accounting for 149,510 journeys.

Nearby Driffield saw significant usage, with 275,396 entries and exits. Like Bridlington, the primary destination for Driffield passengers was Hull, with 99,660 journeys made between the two locations.

Further figures reveal that Filey recorded 172,798 entries and exits, while Seamer saw 164,494. Whitby followed closely behind, recording 153,478 entries and exits. For Whitby travellers, the primary external connection was Middlesbrough, with 25,384 journeys recorded to or from that destination.

For most major locations, the trend was upward. Scarborough, Bridlington, Driffield, Filey, and Seamer all registered increased passenger numbers compared to the April 2023 to March 2024 financial year.

Local Lines Rely on Whitby Link

The data provides a deeper look into the local connections of the Yorkshire Coast, particularly highlighting the dependency of smaller valley stations on the nearby port town of Whitby.

The vast majority of traffic for stations on the line, including Glaisedale (19,420 total entries and exits), Grosmont (15,484), Egton (10,100), Danby (8,520), Lealholm (6,868), Sleights (6,848), Castleton Moor (6,668), Ruswarp (4,112), and Commondale (2,120), funnelled directly to or from Whitby.

For instance, Glaisedale recorded 17,020 journeys specifically linking it with Whitby, while Grosmont saw 9,644 journeys on the same route.

Other local stations also showed strong regional connections. Bempton, which saw 23,682 entries and exits, had Scarborough as its main destination, accounting for 6,002 journeys. Meanwhile, Hutton Cranswick (44,492 entries and exits) and Nafferton (40,808 entries and exits) primarily connected with Hull.

The Office of Rail and Road notes that these statistics are estimates based on ticket sales, derived primarily from the rail industry’s ticketing system (LENNON), and that usage estimates are not always directly comparable over time due to continuous methodology improvements.

The data shows that use of the Yorkshire Coast's railway stations is now well above pre-COVID levels

Analysis of the data by the Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership shows how the area's stations have changed year on year bot in terms of passenger visits and their ranking in the national tables.

Across Yorkshire as a whole Leeds was the most used station with nearly three times the usage of second place York.