<P> 1995 to date Post-privatisation </P> <P> Passenger services in Great Britain are divided into regional franchises and run by private (that is, non-state owned) train operating companies . These companies bid for seven - to eight - year contracts to run individual franchises . Most contracts are awarded by the Department for Transport (DfT), with the exception of Merseyrail, where the franchise is awarded by Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, and ScotRail, where the DfT awards on the advice of the Scottish Government . Initially, there were 25 franchises, but the number of different operating companies is smaller as some firms, including FirstGroup and Stagecoach Group, run more than one franchise . In addition, some franchises have since been combined . There are also a number of local or specialised rail services operated on an' open access' basis outside the franchise arrangements . Examples include Heathrow Express and Hull Trains . </P> <P> In the 2015--16 operating year, franchised services provided 1,718 million journeys totalling (64.7 billion billion passenger km) of travel, an increase over 1994--5 of 117% in journeys (from 761 million) and just over doubling the passenger miles . The passenger - miles figure, after being flat from 1965 to 1995, surpassed the 1947 figure for the first time in 1998 and continues to rise steeply . </P> <P> The key index used to assess passenger train performance is the Public Performance Measure, which combines figures for punctuality and reliability . From a base of 90% of trains arriving on time in 1998, the measure dipped to 75% in mid-2001 due to stringent safety restrictions put in place after the Hatfield crash in October 2000 . However, in June 2015 the PPM stood at 91.2% after a period of steady increases in the annual moving average since 2003 until around 2012 when the improvements levelled off . </P>

How many journeys are made on britain’s railway network each year