Train companies expect the number of journeys completed by train in the UK to reach more than 1.3 billion by the end of the year.
The figure will mean the busiest peacetime year for rail operators since the 1920s.
Latest figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) show a rise of 5.3% over the last three months alone.
Between July and September the number of passenger journeys completed in the UK rose to 314.3 million, up from 298.4m million in Q3 2010.
According to ATOC, the rise could be down to an increase in the cost of fuel, pushing people from travelling by road onto rail.
Journeys in London and the South East grew by 5.8%, long distance journeys by 4.0%, and regional journeys by 4.4% over the period.
www.atoc.org