Chiltern Railways announces £1.5 billion of social value contributions in 2024
Chiltern Railways has announced £1.5 billion in economic, social, and environmental value in 2024, an increase of £154.8 million on the previous year.
An independent assessment, conducted by leading economics and transport consultancy Steer, uses a rigorous, recognised Economic Impact Assessment methodology to capture the full extent of Chiltern’s contribution to society.
This reflects the growth of the network as Chiltern was appointed as the operator of new rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes last month.
The latest analysis covers 2024 and highlights continued growth in Chiltern Railways’ economic impact:
- Direct and indirect economic impact rose from £220 million to £243.7 million
- Induced impacts (impacts that are not directly caused by a project itself but occur as an unplanned consequence of it) increased from £155 million to £169.4 million, reflecting stronger support for UK-based local employment and suppliers’ own economic activity
- Catalytic impacts (which capture the longer-term social, economic and environmental impact resulting from Chiltern’s rail services) grew from £950 million to £1,084 million, underlining the long-term benefits of rail connectivity across society. For example, the environmental and productivity benefits of customers using the train over private car usage
Vanessa Russell, HR and Corporate Affairs Director at Chiltern Railways, said:
“It is crucial that we continue to grow our social value contributions as we strive towards making the railway easier, greener and better for our customers and communities.
“I am proud that our social and economic impact continues to deliver and our ongoing engagement with ten station adoption groups and 120 volunteers makes a significant impact across the Chiltern network.”
Chiltern continues to deliver community engagement programmes through Community Rail Partnerships. The initiatives involve ten station adoption groups and over 120 active community volunteers. In addition, the operator delivered £140k in funding to 11 community projects in 2024.
Throughout 2024, Chiltern has continued to build momentum towards delivering a 2030 Vision for a modern, decarbonised railway, by:
- Delivering 22.4 million journeys (a 1.8 million increase on 2023)
- Employing an additional 115 new colleagues
- Launching refurbished Class 168 trains to provide an improved customer experience – including new seats, USB charging points and improved Wi-Fi
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Notes to editors
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing around 36,200 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys across 11 European countries.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.