King’s Cross and Paddington were the two most popular UK stations
The return of American tourists to London has helped ticket retailer Trainline improve its outlook for trading ahead of what it expects to be “an influx” of summer visitors.
Shares in the company surged 22% on Wednesday, taking it to the top of the leaderboard on London’s FTSE 250 index of mid-cap stocks.
King’s Cross and Paddington were the two most popular UK stations with US travellers buying tickets through the company in June. Euston was in fourth place, behind Edinburgh Waverley in third. There were also signs that tourists were heading beyond established hotspots of Windsor, York and the university towns of Cambridge and Oxford, with Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool also appearing in the top 10.
Trainline reported a rise in net ticket sales of 16% for the first fourth months of 2023, compared with pre-Covid trading in 2020. It said tourist traffic from the US made a “notable resurgence” , driving an improvement in rail passenger volume “across Europe.”
Jody Ford, chief executive, said: “More and more people are recognising that travelling by train is better for the environment and the best way to travel cross-country and cross-border at speed ... Not only is domestic rail travel rebounding at an impressive rate across Europe, but tourists are also returning strongly, with Americans leading the way. “
The company’s app can be used internationally and sells tickets for any UK rail operator, as well as European tickets. increased its net sales growth guidance for the 2023 financial year to a range of between 18% and 27%, compared with pre-Covid levels in the 2020, with its range of revenue growth increased to between 22% and 31%.
The improvement comes with London travellers facing potential disruption during the summer from a planned series of Tube and rail strikes, while resurgent demand from tourists is helping offset the more gradual return of commuter traffic as hybrid working patterns remain popular and business travel remains muted.
Trainline’s chief data officer, Mike Hyde, said: “Tourist destinations across the country should be preparing for an influx of American visitors this summer. Not only is there pent-up demand from the end of Covid travel restrictions, but our US guests are also showing a desire to travel sustainably as more explore the country by train than ever before.”
