Worrying about snow when the sun is out?

28 July 2015

Here at Transport Focus we’ve been talking about wind, rain, snow and storms at the height of summer – what a pessimistic bunch, you might think. Think again…

Whenever extreme weather affects train services, questions are asked about whether Britain’s railways are sufficiently well prepared. We’re keen to understand passengers’ expectations of what the railway should deliver in these circumstances and what can be done differently to meet their needs.

If you’ve ever been stuck on an icy platform, wondering whether your train will turn up, then you will understand the value of this research. What this work reiterates is something we’ve been saying for some time now: the importance of good information to help passengers make informed decisions.

Passengers have also voiced a strong desire for train companies to run as near to normal a service as is possible whenever it is safe to do so. Delaying start of service until 11am attracts strong negative reaction from passengers. There is a big difference between the message “no trains until 11am because there are trees across the track” and “no trains until 11am while we see if there are trees across the track”.

What this all comes down to, is whether passengers can trust their train company and are able to believe that it is on their side. Passengers want their train company to demonstrate that it is doing its best for customers. Acting upon our recommendations this winter will go a long way reassure passengers that they will get to work when faced with the next bout of extreme weather.

Click here to read the report.