What Matters to Rail Passengers in Great Britain

04 June 2026

We asked over 12,000 rail passengers across England, Scotland and Wales to tell us what is important to them. The research provides an importance ranking for various aspects of travelling by train. 

This gives a clear view on what matters to passengers and where the railway should target effort to meet passengers’ aspirations. 

We are pleased to have worked in partnership with Network Rail on this research to help inform decision making for the five years 2029 to 2034, which will be known as Great British Railways’ Funding Period 1. 

You can download infographics showing what matters to passengers ‘top 10’ below.  

Infographic showing top priorities for rail passengers in Britain: punctual and reliable trains ranked highest, followed by safety, value for money, clear information, accessibility, frequency, seating, updates and cleanliness.

Also, you can use our simulator to explore the data to understand what matters to different groups of passengers. For example, filtering by region, journey length, age and gender.  

What Matters to Rail Passengers in Great Britain - 2026 summary report
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What Matters to Rail Passengers in Great Britain infographic
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What Matters to Disabled Rail Passengers infographic
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What Matters to Rail Passengers in Scotland infographic
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What Matters to Rail Passengers in Wales infographic
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What Matters to Rail Passengers in Wales - Welsh language infographic
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Simulator - What Matters To Rail Passengers in Great Britain
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