THE number of train passengers using Bradford stations is starting to pick up again following the pandemic.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures show all 16 in the district suffered a dip in customers from April 2020 to March 21.

However, in the next 12 months, numbers more than doubled to get closer to pre-pandemic figures.

In Bradford, just over 10 million passengers entered and exited train stations in 2021-22 – up from 4.5 million the previous year, but below pre-pandemic levels of 15.2 million in 2019-20.

Bradford Interchange was the most used train station in the district last year.

1.762 million passengers entered and exited the station, an increase of over one million from the previous 12 months (662,282).

However, the city centre station is not in the top five used stations in Yorkshire and the Humber, with the likes of Huddersfield (3.04 million) and Leeds (19.26 million) proving more popular.

At the other end, Apperley Bridge saw the least activity, with 127,662 visits across the year.

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern, said: “Along with other train operators across the country, we’re doing everything we can to encourage people back onto the railway.

"We’re making it easier than ever before to buy a ticket, have delivered some great promotions like our £1 Flash Sale and continue to invest in the infrastructure at our stations to make them more accessible to all.”

The number of passengers who entered and exited Bradford district services between April 21 to March 22:

  • Bradford Interchange (1.762 million)
  • Bradford Forster Square (1.301 million)
  • Keighley (1.150 million)
  • Shipley (1,004 million)
  • Ilkley (936,760)
  • Bingley (806,822)
  • Saltaire (547,320)
  • Steeton & Silsden (445,330)
  • Menston (440,956)
  • Burley-in-Wharfdale (376,438)
  • Frizinghall (340,982)
  • Crossflatts (317,100)
  • Baildon (206,774)
  • Low Moor (151,712)
  • Ben Rhydding (145,386)
  • Apperley Bridge (127,662)

Station usage more than doubled across Great Britain in 2021-22 as people across the country returned to more normal travelling routines following the coronavirus pandemic.

Across the country, passenger numbers rebounded from a pandemic drop in 2020-21.

An estimated 1.8 billion visitors entered and exited train stations in Great Britain last year – more than double the 690 million visitors the year before.

But this was still well below the 3 billion passengers who used stations in 2019-20, before the pandemic.

The ORR’s estimates of station usage are taken from the rail industry’s ticketing and revenue system Lennon, with some local ticketing data.

Adjustments are made to make the estimates as accurate as possible, the regulator said.

The Department for Transport said it has provided more than £16 billion of funding for passenger services since the start of the pandemic.

A spokesperson added: "We now need to reform our railways to reflect changes in travel trends and restore financial stability on our railways."