West Coast trains – what passengers want

05 February 2016

Rail passengers travelling on West Coast services between Scotland, the North West, Wales, West Midlands and London Euston are broadly happy – and want it to stay that way.

Independent watchdog Transport Focus spoke to passengers to understand their current experiences and explore their hopes for future West Coast services, ahead of a new franchise contract.

Passengers are generally happy with value for money, journey experience, and reliability and punctuality. They want to see these good points at least maintained, if not improved.

However, there are some key areas identified for improvement within the next franchise:
• a fare structure that is transparent and easy to understand
• a simple, seamless ticketing process
• on-board enhancements to luggage storage, Wi-Fi and toilets
• increased staff visibility and a proactive approach to customer service
• overcrowding of concourse and train boarding issues at Euston Station
• customer recognition and reward.

Transport Focus passenger director David Sidebottom said:
“Like passengers across the country, those using the West Coast are concerned with value for money. This is more than the cost of fares – it’s about a fares structure that is simple to understand, options that reflect people’s travel patterns and how they want to buy and manage their journeys. The technology is there to transform ticketing – we hope to see this benefit future West Coast passengers.

“We’ve provided some detailed insight here and will continue working to ensure that the final franchise contract has passengers’ needs at the heart.”

You can read a summary of the research here.