The graph provides information about how many trips were made by passengers on three railway systems in Great Britain from 1950 to 2004/5.
Overall, passenger numbers across the three railway systems followed different patterns over the period. While the National Rail network saw a sharp decline before recovering, usage of the London Underground increased gradually. The light rail and metro networks, which emerged in the 1960s, remained the least popular despite steady increases in use.
In 1950, the National Rail network recorded the highest number of journeys, at around 1,000 million. This figure declined steadily over the next three decades, bottoming out at just under 600 million in 1980. Subsequently, it began to recover and reached slightly over 1,100 million by 2004/05, almost returning to its initial level. In contrast, the London Underground began at a lower point, with approximately 700 million trips. Passenger numbers remained relatively stable until the mid-1970s, then dipped slightly to about 500 million. Afterwards, the system experienced consistent growth, eventually surpassing 1,100 million by the end of the period, becoming the most used system.
By comparison, after their introduction in the 1960s, the light railway and metro systems transported far fewer passengers than the other two networks, carrying no more than around ten million during the first 15 years. However, from 1980 onward, usage began to rise steadily, reaching nearly 200 million by 2004/05.