Guidance

Light rail and tram quality report

Updated 17 September 2024

Applies to England

About this release

This document supports the latest light rail and tram statistics.

For detailed commentary please see the annual statistical release.

About the light rail and tram statistics

The light rail and tram annual statistical release is compiled from responses to the Light Rail and Tram Survey, which collects information on light rail and tram system use, infrastructure and revenue.

A copy of the survey form is available.

Quality of the light rail and tram data

The statistics from the light rail and tram survey were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in February 2013. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and are labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.

Where other data sources are used that fall outside the scope of official statistics they are clearly labelled.

This report outlines some of the quality aspects of the data.

Coverage

The survey covers urban systems which are primarily surface running. Questionnaires are sent to the following systems:

• Docklands Light Railway
• London Trams (formerly London Tramlink/Croydon Tramlink)
• Nottingham Express Transit
• West Midlands Metro
• Sheffield Supertram
• Tyne and Wear Metro
• Manchester Metrolink
• Blackpool Tramway
• Edinburgh Trams
• Glasgow Subway (formerly Glasgow Underground)
• London Underground

These systems are those which sit outside of the UK National Rail network but carry a large number of passengers on a daily basis in an urban setting. However, this should not be considered an exhaustive list of the light rail systems currently operating in the UK. There are many other such systems, including funiculars, airport transit systems, heritage, and tourist railways, which are not covered by these statistics.

Location of each light rail and tram system in England

Map 1: location of each light rail and tram system in England

Map 1 above shows the location of the eight light rail and tram systems in England. An accessible version is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Location of each light rail and tram system in England

System	Region
Tyne and Wear Metro	North East
Blackpool Tramway	North West
Sheffield Supertram	Yorkshire and the Humber
Manchester Metrolink	North West
Nottingham Express Transit	East Midlands
West Midlands Metro	West Midlands
Docklands Light Railway	Greater London
London Trams	Greater London

Strengths of the data

Long-term and continuous: The survey first ran in its current format in 2010 and has been running on an annual basis since, although some data are available back to the 1980s. The data captured has remained largely unchanged, meaning that long-term trends can be monitored.

Response rates: In 2024, returns were received from all of the systems, a response rate of 100%. The response rate has consistently been 100%, and the cooperation of the respondents for each of the systems is greatly appreciated.

Limitations

Comparability: As the figures are provided by different operators, there are some differences in the methods used to count journeys or to estimate passenger or vehicle kilometres, which may affect comparisons between different systems. However, we have attempted to ensure comparability as far as possible.

Journeys not passengers: The survey captures the number of passenger boardings, or journeys. This is not the same as the number of passengers as one passenger may make multiple journeys.

Journey details: While the survey captures the number of passenger boardings, it does not capture detailed information about the journeys, such as the origin and destination, or purpose of the journey. Some of this information can be obtained via analysis of the National Travel Survey (NTS).

Passenger details: The survey does not capture any details of the people using the system, such as their demographics, journey satisfaction, or the reasons behind their travel mode choice. Some of this information can be obtained from the NTS.

Data quality

Data collection is done via an Excel spreadsheet.

Many quality control measures are in place to ensure the integrity of the data. Validation checks are used to ensure that any large year-on-year changes are investigated. These validation checks are largely carried out using R. Explanations are then sought from the respondents where differences are large or unexpected. This means that figures for each system should be broadly comparable over time.

The principles of “RAP” (reproducible analytical pipelines) are used to produce the publication tables and charts. For more details on how the principles of RAP are being applied in the Department for Transport (DfT), see the Analysis Function RAP Strategy 2024 Implementation Plan.

Other dimensions of quality

Response rates: In 2024, the response rate was 100%, consistent with previous years.

Timeliness: The survey reference period is the year ending March 2024, and the statistical release was published in September 2024.

Accuracy: Much of the data captured will be available from the individual systems’ management information systems. Although the response rate of 100% means that there are no sampling or coverage errors, there remains the possibility that the data captured is incorrect. It is possible that the form may not be clear to all respondents, the respondents may make an error when completing the form, or there may be errors in the underlying data. While our quality assurance procedures attempt to minimise these errors, they do not remove the risk of them entirely. Information not available through management information systems, such as average journey length, will require the respondent to make assumptions. This is also a potential source of error.

Other data sources

Within the statistical release, other data sources have been used in addition to the light rail and tram survey to provide a more complete picture of the sector.

Office of Road and Rail (ORR) publishes information on passenger injuries on trams, metros and other non-Network Rail networks in Great Britain. ORR statistics are accredited official statistics.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes population statistics which are used to calculate journeys per person.

HM Treasury produces GDP deflators which are used to adjust revenue figures to show them in real terms, that is adjusting for inflation.

Users and uses of these statistics

These statistics are collected to provide information on light rail and tram systems within England to monitor trends in passenger journeys, service provision and revenue. They help to provide a comprehensive picture of public transport use in Great Britain. Within DfT, they are used as background information in the development of light rail and tram policy, for ministerial briefing and to answer public enquiries. Outside DfT, known users include researchers, academics and Parliamentary groups. These groups appear to primarily use the statistics as context for reports related to light rail.

Terminology

Types of system

“Light Rail” systems include: Docklands Light Railway, London Trams, Nottingham Express Transit, West Midlands Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Tyne and Wear Metro and Manchester Metrolink.

“Tram” systems include: Blackpool Tramway and Edinburgh Trams.

“Underground” systems include London Underground and Glasgow Subway.

Other terminology

Concessionary journey: Concessionary journeys are those carried out by holders of a concessionary travel pass. These are issued by local authorities for use on buses as part of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme. Local authorities outside of London can offer free travel on light rail systems as a discretionary extra to this scheme. In London, this is a statutory requirement.

Journey stage: Every trip can consist of one or more stages. A new stage is defined when there is a change in the mode of transport.

Journey length: Passenger kilometres divided by passenger boardings. This calculation reflects operators’ assumptions about average journey length, based on their own surveys and research.

Journeys per person: Passenger journeys divided by the population in the respective Passenger Transport Executive or higher tier authority, using the Census data or mid-year population estimates produced by the Office of National Statistics.

Average vehicle occupancy: Passenger kilometres divided by vehicle kilometres. The passenger kilometres measure reflects operators’ assumptions about average journey length, based on their own surveys and research.

Data collection

Passenger journeys

Most operators report that their passenger journeys figures are derived from ticket data, either directly from ticket machines (Blackpool, Sheffield, Nottingham and West Midlands Metro) or based on ticket sales (Manchester Metrolink). However, for London Trams passenger numbers are recorded by an on-tram passenger count system using infra-red door sensors, and Docklands Light Railway figures are based on automatic passenger counts at stations. Tyne and Wear Metro figures are based on surveys of 12,000 to 15,000 passengers every 4 weeks (which the operator reports as providing data accurate to within a margin of error of 1% on an annual basis).

Where figures are derived from ticket sales data, assumptions based on passenger surveys are made to estimate the number of journeys per ticket (for example, for season tickets).

For the systems that report using passenger counts from ticket machines, season ticket and pass holder boardings are captured by the pressing of a button on the machine. Only one operator makes an adjustment for under-recording, with the others reporting that they make no adjustment but estimate that the level of under-recording is small (less than 1%).

On occasion, operators may make adjustments to the methods used to estimate journeys. For example, Manchester reported using a revised methodology for concessionary journeys from 2010 to 2011, based on surveys carried out.

Whilst there are differences in the methods used by operators to compile the estimates of journeys and it is difficult to assess the impact of these precisely, data are validated by comparison to previous years and consequently, we believe that the broad trends shown are sufficiently robust for the uses of these statistics.

Concessionary journeys are those carried out by holders of a concessionary travel pass. These are issued by local authorities for use on buses as part of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS). In London, free travel on light rail systems is a statutory requirement. Local authorities outside of London can offer free travel on light rail systems as a discretionary extra to this scheme and all eight areas with light rail systems currently offer free off-peak travel to older and disabled residences in their local authority area. In order to qualify for a concessionary travel pass, a certain age or disability requirement has to be met as specified by the ENCTS. Some local authorities may also offer concessionary travel for young people.

Passenger kilometres

Passenger kilometres travelled are calculated by multiplying the number of passenger journeys by an average journey length. Average journey lengths are estimated from passenger surveys. Typically, the same figure is used for a number of years, with periodic revisions for example associated with network changes. As a result, whilst the passenger kilometres figures should reflect broad trends sufficiently, year-on-year changes should be treated with caution.

Vehicle kilometres

Vehicle kilometres operated are derived from scheduled (timetabled) kilometres, deducting any known lost kilometres. Kilometres run on driver training or special excursions are not included. Given the nature of these systems (operating on a fixed route network) we consider these figures to be a reliable indication of levels and trends.

Note, however, that figures for Manchester Metrolink are provided on a different basis to other systems (as described in the note to the tables). Comparisons over time and with other systems should therefore be made with caution.

Revenue

Revenue figures are taken from operators’ financial records. Total revenue includes on and off-vehicle fare receipts, concessionary fare reimbursement for both elderly and disabled and (where relevant) youth passengers, and any other payments from local transport authorities. Income from special excursions and other sources (for example, retail and advertising), as well as government support through the Light Rail Revenue Restart Grant (LRRRG), is not included in these figures. Income relating to Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) is also not included.

Workforce

Workforce figures are the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) people employed by each system, or contractors working on those systems, to carry out a specified role. They include contracted staff wherever possible. These statistics were new in the year ending March 2023 and are therefore designated as statistics in development. Efforts have been made to ensure comparability between systems, and we will strive to improve comparability further in future years.

Factors affecting figures in recent years

Nationwide factors

Coronavirus (COVID-19) impact:

Figures for the financial years ending March 2022 and March 2021 were affected by the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This period was affected by restrictions or capacity limitations to allow for social distancing. Plan B restrictions introduced in response to the Omicron variant in December 2021 did not introduce further capacity restrictions, although the work from home advice issued by the government did lead to an overall decline in patronage.

Figures for the financial year ending March 2023 onwards were less affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no restrictions directly affecting passenger numbers during these years, although changes to working patterns as a result of the pandemic are likely to have an ongoing effect on passenger numbers.

System factors

Systems have recovered to some extent since the COVID-19 pandemic, with services returning to closer to pre-pandemic frequencies on most systems. Other factors which may have affected the data are listed in chronological order in Table 2 below.

Table 2 - Key events in the light rail and tram sector (to March 2024)

Year	System	Info
1980	Tyne and Wear Metro	Opened to the public.
1987	Docklands Light Railway	Opened to passenger traffic.
1991	Docklands Light Railway	Extension to Bank underground station opened.
1992	Manchester Metrolink	Phase 1 opened to the public (between Bury and Altrincham).
1994	Docklands Light Railway	Extension from Poplar to Beckton opened.
1994	Sheffield Supertram	First section opened to the public.
1995	Sheffield Supertram	Fully opened to the public.
1997	Sheffield Supertram	Stagecoach bought South Yorkshire Supertram Ltd.
1999	West Midlands Metro	Opened to the public from Wolverhampton to Birmingham Snow Hill.
1999	Docklands Light Railway	Extensions to Lewisham was opened.
1999	Manchester Metrolink	Phase II opened with services to Salford Quays.
2000	London Trams	Opened to the public.
2000	Manchester Metrolink	Phase II extended to Eccles.
2003	Docklands Light Railway, London Trams, and London Underground	Mayor of London obtained control of London Underground on 15 July. Transport for London took responsibility for the strategic operations of LU, London’s buses, DLR, Croydon Tramlink, taxis, private hire vehicles and their operators, and also riverbus services.
2004	Nottingham Express Transit	Opened to the public.
2005	Docklands Light Railway, London Trams, and London Underground	Transport for London introduced free bus and tram travel for those aged under 16.
2005	Docklands Light Railway	Extension to London City Airport opened.
2013	Tyne and Wear Metro	Multiple line closures due to major track renewals.
2014	Edinburgh Trams	Opened to the public.
2014	Manchester Metrolink	Extension to Manchester Airport opened.
2015	Manchester Metrolink	Re-opened Victoria station having been closed for over a year.
2015	Sheffield Supertram	Engineering works meant replacement buses, which will impact figures.
2015	London Trams	Closure of town centre loop due to town improvement works.
2015	Nottingham Express Transit	Phase 2 opened to the public.
2016	Blackpool Trams	Two new stops added.
2016	London Trams	Extension from Elmers End - Wimbledon, with new trams added to fleet.
2016	West Midlands Metro	Extension through Birmingham city centre to New Street Station.
2017	Manchester Metrolink	Second City Crossing was opened.
2018	West Midlands Metro	Midland Metro Ltd commenced operation (previously operated by National Express).
2018	Sheffield Supertram	Rail replacement works effected service.
2019	Sheffield Supertram	Rail replacement works effected service.
2019	West Midlands Metro	Extension in Birmingham.
2020	Manchester Metrolink	Trafford Park line extension opened.
2020	Blackpool Tramway	Service suspensions impacted services.
2020	Sheffield Supertram	Rail replacement works effected services.
2020	Manchester Metrolink	New trams in use that boost capacity of the network by 15%
2021	All systems	The trends in the year ending March 2021 statistical series have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 measures implemented from March 2020.
2021	Tyne and Wear Metro	Major line closures and technical faults impacted services.
2022	All systems	The trends in the year ending March 2022 statistical series have been affected to some extent by the COVID-19 restrictions in place.
2022	West Midlands Metro	Service suspensions due to technical faults and industrial action impacted services, extension to Edgbaston opened.
2023	West Midlands Metro	Wolverhampton extension opened.
2023	Edinburgh Trams	Extension opened.
2024	Tyne and Wear Metro	Transitioning to a new fleet means temporary changes in vehicle numbers.
2024	Manchester Metrolink	New way of calculating passenger distance travelled means figures for the year ending March 2024 publication are not directly comparable with previous years.
2024	London Trams	Several periods of engineering work impacted service.
2024	Glasgow Underground	New fleet of 4-car units replacing 3 single cars per train.

Light rail and tram statistics questionnaire

The questions asked in the 2024 light rail and tram statistics survey were split into 3 sections.

Section 1: assets as at 31 March 2024

The section 1 questions were as follows:

• number of vehicles (excluding special engineering vehicles). Please count each articulated tram as one vehicle

• number of tram stops or stations

• route kilometres open (length of network for public use)

Section 2: scheduled services 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

The section 2 questions were as follows:

• loaded tram or train kilometres operated

• total boardings (including concessionary and season tickets)

• total concessionary boardings

• concessionary boardings for elderly or disabled people

• concessionary boardings for young people

• total passenger kilometres travelled

• gross passenger receipts for scheduled services. Include on and off vehicle receipts (for example season tickets). Exclude other support, receipts from a local transport authority, concessionary travel reimbursement, income from special excursions and other income (for example retail or advertising)

• receipts from local transport authority (LTA)

• overall concessionary travel reimbursement

• concessionary travel reimbursement for elderly or disabled people

• concessionary travel reimbursement for young people

• total revenue from other sources. Other revenue not included above. Include other support (including government support), income from special excursions, and other income (for example retail or advertising)

Section 3: workforce

This section was new for the year ending 31 March 2023.

The numbers of full time equivalent staff as of 31 March 2024 employed as:

• drivers

• other on-board staff

• cleaning staff

• administrative staff

• maintenance staff

• other staff

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Light rail and tram statistics

Email [email protected]

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