Passenger Voice January 2016: Planning engineering works: what works for passengers
21 December 2015
Talk to me clearly, early and often,’ that’s what passengers have told us they want from train companies.
With this information our latest research, Planning engineering works: what works for passengers, hopes to help reduce the impact of disruption for rail passengers.
Working with Great Western Railway (GWR) we looked at how engineering work is communicated to passengers and what lessons can be learnt from recent work at Bath Spa and Reading. The report highlights that timing, content, type and tone of information that different passengers require, as well as their perspective on the way the disruption is handled, are key to keeping passengers happy.
Passengers have welcomed the investment in the rail network; over the next few years tens of billions will be spent on work to improve journeys across the country. However passengers will also have to endure disruption to their journeys while these much-needed, long-promised benefits are delivered.
David Sidebottom, passenger director at Transport Focus, said:
“If the rail industry is to retain the confidence and trust of its passengers, it is vital that it takes full account of their needs when planning engineering work. We were reassured that Great Western Railway (GWR) is committed to understanding more about its customers’ needs and worked with us on this research.”
“With so much work coming up across Britain, and so many passengers still reporting that they get poor and unhelpful information, it is key that the whole of the rail industry listens to this message.”
Mark Hopwood, managing director of Great Western Railway, said:
“We have seen significant investment in the Great Western route over the past few years and there is more to come. It is exceptionally important that we are doing the right things for our customers as the investment continues, and it is important that the work we have done with Network Rail to minimise the impact of this work on our customers really hits the mark. To this end we have worked closely with Transport Focus on this extended project enabling us to really get immersed in the customer experience.”
To hear more about what this means for passengers watch our video here.
Click here to download the research.
