CrossCountry passenger research
13 June 2018
When new franchise deals are negotiated we want to see passenger views at the heart of the decisions about their services. That’s why we carry out bespoke research into the passenger perspective.
The present CrossCountry franchise, operated by Arriva UK Trains, is expected to end in December 2019. This follows the Department for Transport (DfT) awarding a new, short-term franchise to the existing operator (known as a direct award) in September 2016.
Transport Focus carried out research to establish the passenger perspective on the CrossCountry service and passengers’ aspirations for the future. The first, in 2015, explored passenger attitudes to current services and their aspirations for the future. The most recent examined the reasons why travellers do not make more use of Cross Country and passenger experiences of interchange.
The findings from the initial research were used to inform the Department for Transport (DfT) and CrossCountry Trains as they discussed the scope of the direct award contract. The subsequent research will help inform the DfT and bidders as they develop ideas for the next the franchise. Both pieces of research will help establish what passengers would like from the new franchise.
Below you can download a summary document and two detailed agency slide decks.
When the formal franchise consultation is launched in preparation for the next competition we will prepare a full response, drawing on all our research, and publish it on our website.