Transport Focus statement on hot weather and transport

01 July 2015

Commenting on the potential for disruption to travel during the heatwave, David Sidebottom, passenger director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“For passengers unable to avoid travelling during this heatwave, it is crucial that they are warned in plenty of time if trains are likely to come to a standstill or be severely delayed. It is critical that we are given accurate, timely information in plenty of time to plan alternative travel.
“We welcome Network Rail’s efforts to help people understand why the railway may be affected – but this doesn’t make disruption itself any easier to bear. Currently less than four in ten passengers are satisfied with how delays are handled – we don’t want to see that drop even further.
“In the long term, more reliability generally is needed in road and rail infrastructure to keep people moving, especially during periods of extreme weather.”