Great Rail Journeys: Yorkshire tour operator sees profits jump
Yorkshire-based travel company Great Rail Journeys has seen its profits surge after the company was last year acquired by a large private equity firm.
The York-based tour operator saw pre-tax profits more than double from £7.1m to £18.5m for the year ending 31 October 2025.
It came as revenue also lifted from £111m to £140m.
The company said its increased revenue reflected “increases in both passenger volumes and average selling prices with growth across all product ranges”.
Great Rail Journeys also saw its gross profit margın increase to 23 8 per cent, up from 2024 23 6 per cent a year prior.
It comes after May last year saw private equity firm Vitruvian Partners acquire Great Rail Journeys for an undisclosed sum.
Vitruvian Partners purchased the Yorkshire company from fellow private equity group Duke Street, which had owned it since 2018.
A statement in Great Rail Journeys latest results said: “Our ultımate controlling party is the private equity sponsor Vitruvian Partners LLP who have a successfully partnered with a number of travel and leisure brands to drive profitable growth
“With their support coupled with the capitalisation of the wider Group, the Directors intend to pursue multiple strategic initiatives in the coming year to drive revenue and profits.”
The firm said it would now aim to focus on initiatives including technological investments and creating a new connected booking platform.
The company also said it plans to expand its existing product portfolio beyond its core rail category, in a move which would build on the “success” of its expansion into river cruises.
The company said last year that it was set to take around 6,000 customers on river cruises, using for the first time its two fully chartered river ships which operate under the Great Rail Journeys brand.
Great Rail Journeys added that its core customer base of affluent over 60s was set to grow, giving the market “resılient and long-term sustaınable growth opportunities”.
The firm’s CEO, Dave Riley said company was “incredibly proud” of the progress reflected in its latest results.
He added that the company was also seeing a “continued excellent performance” from its US business, which he said was continuing to “build momentum and create exciting opportunities for future growth”.
Mr Riley first joined Great Rail Journeys in 2018 as chief financial officer, having previously worked at Under Armour and GHD.
The results also come after Great Rail Journeys recently expanded into the luxury rail sector, launching trips which include the Orient Express, as well as luxury trains in Spain and Australasia.
The launch came after the firm said it had seen a large amount of demand in the luxury rail sector.