Rail passengers in Britain made almost five per cent more journeys in the first three months of this year compared with the snow-hit January-March 2010 period.

A total of 316 million journeys were made in January-March 2011, up 4.8 per cent on the same period last year, the Association of Train Operating Companies said.

The figures for the beginning of last year were affected by the bad weather of January 2010.

In the 12 months ending March 2011, a total of 1.34 billion rail journeys were taken, a 6.6 per cent rise on the previous 12-month period. A survey by Ipsos MORI for Atoc suggested a sixth of rail users have switched from car to train for at least one journey during February and March this year. Around half blamed the price of petrol.

Atoc chief executive officer Michael Roberts said: “It’s been a strong quarter on the railways, with more and more people choosing to travel by train, despite tough economic times and tight family budgets for many.

“Passenger numbers continue to rise to levels not witnessed in peacetime Britain since the 1920s, with well over a billion journeys made every year.”