Darwin and passenger information: what is the connection?

21 May 2014

Darwin is normally associated with evolution in the natural world.  But his name is being linked to an initiative by the railway industry, launched today, which will make the train running information used by National Rail Enquiries more widely available.

So, what difference will Darwin make to train passengers?

Well, it will ensure that online and app information is more accurate as it will  capture information on cancellations and amendments to schedules in real time.  As they are making train running information more widely available it could result in more creativity and a greater range of apps on train times.

As part of an ongoing wish to see greater transparency in the rail industry, this is a really welcome step.  This can only help improve passengers’ confidence in the information they have. This should be part of an evolutionary process for greater transparency – but hopefully nowhere near as slow as that which Darwin discovered in nature.