Welcome to the Passenger Focus blog

Passenger verdict returned

2012-01-27T11:41:00.000Z

The autumn 2011 rail National Passenger Survey results was published yesterday. Wide variations around the country – different routes showing markedly different passenger experiences. Values for money scores veer from a very mediocre 27% to a not bad 80%. Satisfaction with punctuality and reliability ranges from 68% to 97%.

These scores really show where investment and energy now needs to be focused to bring the overall passenger experience up to a median level.

London Overground and Merseyrail have done well for significantly raising their game. Also First Capital Connect should be encouraged by reaching 80% satisfaction. Go and have a look at the results on our website. Forget what the pundits and talking heads say – this is what passengers think about Britain’s railway.

Big chance, big change?

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000Z

When a rail franchise comes up for renewal it has always been a good opportunity to secure change and passenger benefits. Get something written into the franchise and there is a pretty good chance it will happen. Once a new franchise starts it is very difficult to get anything additional to happen, unless there is a strong business case for it or someone else pays.

The franchise season is on us. A whole string of them are now in the pipeline for replacement. This is when we deploy one of our major products. We commission route based research to find out what are passengers priorities for improvement. We blend this into what we already know about passenger satisfaction on a particular franchise. This helps the Department for Transport and increasingly the bidders target the right things.

However, we don’t have a monopoly on the passenger voice. We have already put in submissions on Greater Western and West Coast - there are more to come – make sure your voice is heard. With longer franchises, 15 years is a long time to wait for a decent train.

Earthworks

2012-01-19T13:07:00.000Z

Interesting the different ways digging up the railways and roads is approached. The system of booking possessions and minimising disruption (even if it does not always feel like that) has led to a relatively passenger focused approach on the railways. A lot of work is done at night or in continuous, large scale bursts of work.
I mused on this as the 355 bus edged towards Brixton on Sunday. Big road works, big delays - all cordoned and coned off – but no work going on. The economic value of the wasted fuel, time and lost shopping must be immense, but does not seem to figure in the engineering economics. Why are roads different? Why don’t they work for 18 hours a day to get it all done?

The best of Britain’s railways...

2012-01-18T10:25:00.000Z

The recent winds and bad weather reminded me of a friend’s comment about last year’s snow. Stuck on a train in Scotland the guard gave out his own coffee, from his flask, to keep passengers warm. That is what public transport is about, that is what is so important about staff. In fact this friend is much enamoured with ScotRail. On the way to Scotland this year she forgot her sleeper carnets – ouch, big bill one way! Staff said pay up, but apply for refund – that is now happening. That is how passengers should be treated – not like criminals when there is no intent, no guilty mind or intention to defraud – just human error.

Coach bliss

2012-01-13T13:40:00.000Z

Oxford to London on the coach. London Road stop in Headington has good information even if you do have to cuddle up to a rubbish bin to read the Tube information. Real-time information was spot on – the X90 rolled in as the screen said “due”. Clear fares, pay the friendly driver, coach spotlessly clean if a little tired, a socket at every pair of seats, and a loo. Usual traffic snarl in London, but arrived at Victoria Coach Station early. No wonder our research found passengers who use coaches really like them – the service delivers what it promises. While the current waves of rail and bus investment are really welcome, it seems a pity that more long-term thought isn’t devoted to using coach to plug gaps or help relieve capacity problems. An electric coach network could really help keep the country moving.

‘Appy as Larry?

2012-01-06T16:31:00.002Z

We have pushed for a long time for staff to be better informed about service disruption, so that they can give passengers better information when things go wrong. So, the handing out of Blackberry’s to staff is a welcome move. However, I have never been convinced that this is the right bit of kit. The rapid rise of Smartphone technology and the iPad seem better suited to what staff have to do – show passengers some information and options. Airline pilots now don’t carry those huge bags full of maps and information – iPads are becoming the norm.
Interestingly, I overheard a conversation the other day on a train. A passenger asked for some information. One staff member asked a colleague: “Have you got your customer assist machine?” The other staff member replied: “I don’t use that - I have bought an app which I use on my Smartphone.” She then used her own phone to retrieve the information...

Bus replacement shock

2012-01-04T17:44:00.004Z

Yes, I was a victim of a New Year bus replacement horror. Having totally failed to check in advance I found myself using the bus replacement service from Didcot to Oxford. Imagine the clammy tension at Paddington on hearing the news – no train, bus replacement, hours stuck in traffic- aggh! Actually, it turned out to be really well managed. Lots of information at Paddington and announcements on the train (including two extra ticket collectors). The staff on train all repeated information.

It was well organised at Didcot with lots of visible staff. Actively managed – staff made sure each coach was full and got way ASAP. Decent coaches and well organised at the Oxford station end. Clearly what First Great Western and Network Rail have learned during the Reading blockades is sticking. Yes, I would rather have been on a train but this was okay. It’s still odd you pay the same price for a longer journey though.....

Lots of good news shock – a festive fairy tale?

2012-01-03T09:38:00.003Z

Good news does not travel but December saw some really good things happening. 12 coach trains are now running on part of the Thameslink and Southern routes. More carriages for the Northern and South Western franchises. A new station opened at West Hampstead. The long awaited new platform at Cambridge came in to use. The south of the Thames entrance to Blackfriars opened saving loads of time for passengers who previously had to walk across the bridge. Farringdon tube and rail stations now look much better. Planning permission was granted for the massive redevelopment of London Bridge. The Chancellors autumn statement promised slugs of extra investment. Passenger numbers are up. Even one of the Waterloo International platforms will be coming back into use.

So, what’s the problem? If you came from Mars you would think this booming industry was a great success. The problem is that inside all this spending there is a corrosive, hungry fat creature – the costs monster. It is eating more and more of each pound being spent on the railways. In previous years the costs of appeasing the cost monster was increasingly dumped on the largely captive passenger. We now seemed to have reached the end of this with even the Treasury realising that these levels of eye watering rise simply cannot continue.

The industry and Government must now look very hard at the structure and costs of the industry. If they do the railways could well turn into a real success for everyone. If they don’t you might as well book in the next industry review of costs for five years time. Only the cost monster will have grown even more ravenous.

Only six per cent?

2011-12-28T12:13:00.001Z

The Government’s welcome decision to row back from the planned RPI plus three per cent rises took the really nasty bite out of these rises. However, many passengers have little choice but to get the train and pay up. The spotlight will really be on train operating companies to deliver their promises about overcrowding and performance. We passengers are paying our fair share and we want and deserve better.

2011 saw the industry’s inefficiencies highlighted in a number of reports. The current policy of moving costs from the taxpayer onto the fare payer will go totally sour if the whole industry and Government does not wring better value for money out of its spending – why should passengers go on paying for a fractured inefficient industry?

From the examples we have looked at it appears that many train companies exercised some restraint when considering unregulated fare rises although we have looked at year on year rises – some fares go up during the year as well as at the end.

Unregulated fares have not been hit in the same way as in previous years. Whether this is because train companies felt the limits have finally been reached or that passengers who have a choice might baulk at paying these fares during grim economic times does not matter – let’s hope this policy continues in the following months. Those forward looking train companies that offer direct debit schemes for season tickets are also to be congratulated – spreading the cost of what are still relatively good value buys will make sense for some passengers.

Tatty train update

2011-12-15T09:40:00.002Z

Following an earlier blog about Southern’s tatty trains I went down to Selhurst depot to see the ongoing refurbishment works on the metro and longer-distance trains. Really impressive – once done the trains look like new and the speed of the work and turnaround is very efficient. The attention to detail on toilet defects is also impressive – not train should have an out of service toilet for very long due to mobile teams chasing down problems. Let’s see what effect this all has in the forthcoming National Passenger Survey awards.

So the tatty train award now passes to First Capital Connect for a class 465 train I went on recently. The toilet was working but in a very poor condition and the inside of the train very tatty, stained and downtrodden. Not good. Are these trains also coming up for TLC?

Once a lifetime?

2011-12-14T17:22:00.001Z

Well, that is something that has never happened before. A short journey to Cambridge ended up taking two and a half hours and involved having to change trains twice due to signalling problems, train failure etc. Information very patchy.

I have a dream

2011-12-14T09:54:00.000Z

One day every city and town will have bus services like this. Yesterday went on the recently opened Busway in Cambridge. Dedicated concrete tracks mean bus speeds along at 57mph for much of journey. Then comes off at end and runs into city and town centres – just like a bus only motorway. New buses, new stops, new park and rides – passengers love it and are flocking on. Much cheaper to bring in than some other transport solutions as well. Let’s see some more please.

Stars in standard class!

2011-12-13T11:36:00.001Z

You have seen star in a reasonably priced car on Top Gear. Now for the rail version – stars in standard class. Yes, spot those stars doing their bit for cost control by travelling standard. My first entry? Strictly’s Artem spotted in standard class on a Virgin Manchester to London service. Good on him – who have you seen?

Attention to detail

2011-12-12T15:50:00.002Z

The then managing director of Cross Country trains, Chris Gibb, once told me he spent 20 consecutive Saturdays at Birmingham New Street watching exactly what was happening with the trains trying to understand why hold ups occur.

The ghastliness of arriving at Heathrow from abroad turned out to be a false worry recently. Much work done to improve Terminal One, swiftly through Immigration, only to wait for ages at the baggage carousel. Coming on an international flight many other passengers were held up in immigration. The baggage appeared swiftly but, as many passengers were stuck in immigration, few bags got taken off. As few bags got taken off the carousel choked up and no more bags could get on. – so, we all were slowed down to the lowest speed of exit. A simple act of tidying up the carousel got many more bags on and people away but this only happened after a passenger complained.

Attention to detail counts for much in public transport. Cows on the line on First Great Western the other day – one announcement then 25 minutes silence. Attention to detail.

Swift ticketing

2011-12-12T14:29:00.002Z

Oyster is good but used my ‘electronic’ passport for the first time coming through immigration recently. Amazing that the iris recognition and various data checks can be done so quickly – I was through in seconds. Gives you hope for the future of rail ticketing!

More in hope than expectation?

2011-12-09T13:31:00.003Z

Interesting that the chapel at Heathrow airport is co-located with the bus station. Are they trying to tell us something?

Airtrack? No, but Oyster-tastic!

2011-12-09T09:59:00.002Z

Rare journey to Heathrow. Not that easy getting from South West London to Heathrow – the now dead Airtrack scheme was meant to make this easier by rail. However, for those that are in the know a train from Clapham Junction followed by the 285 bus to Heathrow Central is remarkably quick and easy. Slight hike from Heathrow Central to terminals, but all underground. What now makes this so much easier is the fact you can use Oyster for the whole journey. No more fiddling around with buying separate rail tickets, not knowing when you will exactly come back – simple, just swipe and you know what you are in for.

Save the planet!

2011-12-08T10:01:00.002Z

An off peak return to Reading –a pretty simple, standard ticket you might think. If you pre purchase and pick up at a ticket machine you get five ‘mag stripe’ type tickets spewed out at you. Two tickets, two reservations, totally useless as you have a very handy off peak ticket and a train about every 10 minutes and a receipt. No wonder the railways are so expensive to run.

Irony?

2011-12-07T09:38:00.002Z

A big dirty noisy belching high speed train called? .... Environment Agency!

How long can it last?

2011-11-28T12:30:00.002Z

1310 Birmingham New Street to London train. Midday for goodness sake should be quiet? Standing room only until Rugby. Standing in standard that is. First class pretty much empty. Nothing wrong with First Class – if folk want to pay more for more, great – it helps keep the whole train on the rails. But when it is clearly at the expense of the majority something is wrong. Time to take out a first class carriage? Trains are so inflexible this seems difficult but it must be a feature of future designs. Keep the interiors flexible like aircraft ones.

Manchester tram trim

2011-11-25T14:46:00.000Z

Had a quick nose around the new tram line to East Manchester. Looks really good. All overhead wires in place, stations nearly finished, landscaping done and grass grown and mowed. Seeing brand new kit like this being put in, really sends out such a positive message about public transport. Looking forward to trying it next summer. The area really needs it – a mixture of old industrial sites awaiting redevelopment, some pretty poor looking, much older housing and lots of brand new flats. Transport links don’t beat poverty but at least they make it more likely, it can be beaten.

Does what it says on the tin...

2011-11-15T16:25:00.002Z

A perfect journey? London to Manchester and back in a day. Train left on time, not too crowded, toilets working, air con about right, sun out – a perfect journey. Predictable, no surprises, did what it said on the tin – got me there on time. Boring? Yes, that’s what us passengers want. I have come to the conclusion delighting passengers is difficult – except perhaps on longer distance services. What you must not do however is irritate us – just do what you said you were going to do. Hence the importance of information during disruption – you have disturbed my peace, things are not as planned, I am potentially irritated – get me information now!

Showdown at Notter Bridge

2011-11-09T10:51:00.000Z

I blogged last year about the absurd situation that grew up at Notter Bridge bus stops – see the photo:
http://passengerfocus.blogspot.com/2010/10/notter-bridge-bus-stop.html

Hard work by our ex staffer Joe Lynch with the Highways Agency has finally paid off – the inaccessible bus stops are to be released back in to the community!

Tatty

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000Z

Surprised at just how tatty some of Southern’s trains are now looking. The longer distance trains (I still think of them as new, but they a few years old now) look like they need a re-fresh. The older suburban trains had a very unsatisfactory refurbishment some years ago (look at the same trains on South West Trains – a much better refurbishment) and get a real hammering. Looks like it’s time for a spring clean.

Clean up your act

2011-10-27T10:32:00.002+01:00

Lothian buses in Edinburgh seem to have invested and smartened up their buses. Lots of branded routes which look good and are fun to decipher. Most importantly, and in stark contrast to their rivals, it looked as if all the buses had been through the washer that morning. This sort of presentation detail is important. If you can’t keep your own buses clean will passengers?

Stations at the tipping point?

2011-10-24T12:31:00.002+01:00

When does general opinion about something shift? Have we reached that point with rail stations? Over the years there has been steady investment in stations. Big redevelopments like St Pancras, new stations on the Airdrie Bathgate line and lots of lots of small improvements. The Access for All scheme has funded much of this.

Increasing I hear people say that stations are OK, they have really improved and you can get decent food and coffee in most places. Yes, there are still dreadful places to wait, but momentum is slowing gathering. Our National Passenger Survey now has an overall rating for stations as it does for trains. While we know that stations are not one of the key driver of satisfaction, it will be interesting to see how this score shifts.

What is interesting is just how straightforward most passenger needs are. Our recent research on improving Euston listed information during disruption, toilets and cash points! Focus on the basics and passengers will thank you.

All steamed up!

2011-10-18T15:58:00.001+01:00

Why do double-deckers not have front window heaters upstairs? The slightest damp and the whole top deck steams up. As a result no one can see where they are, where they are going and where to get off!

Integrated transport - north of the border

2011-10-17T12:08:00.000+01:00

Rare flight to Edinburgh – caught airport bus run by Lothian into city. Interesting rush of suits to get on bus – clearly not a mode of transport of last resort. Modern, clean double-decker. Runs every ten minutes for most of the day and a return costs £6. It takes about 30 minutes and is good value for money. On board there are leather seats, wooden floor, really good information and takes you right outside Waverley station. Only downside is the tram building causing diversions and delays – ironic!

Up the creek

2011-10-12T16:18:00.000+01:00

Recently we published our new report, Information: Rail passengers’ needs during unplanned disruption. The conclusions are clear:

accurate, timely and consistent information is critical because it allows passengers to make informed decisions about what they do
passengers do not always trust the information they are given, particularly the reasons offered for delays and cancellations – they want more honesty
the attitude and empathy of railway staff towards passengers during disruption is a key factor
passengers want train companies to actively tell them if there are problems, particularly cancellations or if a temporary timetable is being introduced
passenger Focus will press the rail industry to address these issues – we’ll be monitoring how well they do if bad weather affects the railway this winter

Saw some of this in action at Reading as a fatality at Southall meant all eastbound trains being decanted and no westbound trains. Lots of staff around, good. Clear-ish tannoy messages but indicator boards frustratingly saying about individual trains ‘delayed’. No they weren’t – they were cancelled, not running, nonexistent. Until a major industry investment in kit (which looks like it is coming) these systems will always lag behind. Oddest of all – you can get to Waterloo on a slow South West Trains service from Reading. It wasn’t until relativity late that some people were directed towards this.

Reading or not

2011-10-11T12:08:00.000+01:00

Getting to Reading always baffles me. Trains from Paddington go to Cornwall, South Wales, Bristol and all points west. There is always a massive crush at Paddington to get everyone on, but then many people get off at Reading. If there was a fast, dedicated electric service to Reading (‘Reading Express’?) then Reading passengers could use that – a bit like a Heathrow Express for Reading. The long-distance trains could then get moving, still stopping to pick up at Reading, but the mad crush might be lessened. Seems like airport passengers are very well served, but Reading passengers are squashed up – hopefully new investment plans will mean space for all?

Swiss clockwork?

2011-10-05T10:00:00.000+01:00

A colleague has just returned from a Swiss government-funded study tour of Swiss railways. He was impressed, but it’s interesting what issues the Swiss are having to start thinking about. No distinction between peak and off peak coupled with low fares has powered the use of their railways. Trains are getting crowded and debates about the cost of the railways are kicking off. All sounds familiar!

Platform 9

2011-09-28T10:24:00.002+01:00

The work done on Paddington’s platforms 9 upwards is now done. What a difference - light, clear, less clutter on the access routes. The roof looks great and you can actually tell if the sun is out. Makes you remember the pain of rebuilding. As more work is done at Reading, and London Bridge’s works kicking off soon, it’s crucial that the needs of passengers are taken into account during these big rebuilds. Everyone wants to see more money spent on the railway, but how it is spent is very important. Passenger Focus has done a lot of work in this area. The conclusions are clear – it’s all about communication. Before, during and after. The Christmas Reading closure set the benchmark for this. Very well done.

The dog that didn’t bark

2011-09-23T12:01:00.000+01:00

0720 to Manchester – an expensive train – but if you need to get to business at a reasonable time you pay up. Given how early it is you also expect things might run okay. As we stop along the way I grow suspicious that we are running late – arrive Manchester 0943 - 15 minutes late on a just over two hour journey. Not a thing is said along the way. Very frustrating as it seems to imply passengers’ time has so little value it is not worth acknowledging you have just failed to deliver on the basic promise of the railway – get me there on time.

Evidence of investment and the need for it!

2011-09-15T11:19:00.002+01:00

There’s lots of evidence that the overhead electric wires out of Liverpool Street are being slowly replaced and improved – the Achilles Heel of that line for a long time. However, watching freight trains at Ipswich doing elaborate manoeuvres across main lines shows the need to separate them as far as possible from passenger trains. Plans are afoot to do this which would surely help timekeeping on this busy line?

A tale of two tickets

2011-09-08T16:43:00.000+01:00

Wow, I walked into that one. Usually try to travel on advance tickets for business, so you forget sometimes just how pricey walk-up travel can be in the south east. Going to cremation in Ipswich not sure which train I would get so turned up. Peak travel on the way out was over £60 – so I even thought about coming back off peak. Had to stand all way to Colchester, which some regulars did as well. Should have booked an advance ticket, but I wasn’t sure which train I would be on.

I could not understand why my dad’s ticket was 40 odd pounds. He went up to Ipswich off peak and has a senior railcard. Sounded like two thirds of the price of my ticket. He had booked online, couldn’t understand the ticket restrictions and booked a more expensive ticket than he needed. Our recent research on buying on the web showed that passengers could be paying more than they need to and I suspect this happens quite a bit.

Visible staff

2011-09-02T17:57:00.002+01:00

Northern have a great potential sales tool. All their trains have guards. We all know and our research confirms that passengers want to see more visible staff. However, in the course of about seven recent journeys on only one train did the guard come through checking tickets. It’s not an easy job and the amount of stops call for a lot of work. However, there really is no point in them being there if passengers don’t see them – I want my ticket to be checked! Couldn’t help notice there was a lot of low-level anti-social behaviour – feet on seats, loud music and smoking at stations. Shame...

TJ Walsh

2011-09-01T16:38:00.002+01:00

One of the independent bus operators in Halifax. Smart, clean fleet of modern buses. The shape of the bus, a sort of cross between a minibus and a bigger bus was one I have never seen anywhere else. Are they unique?

The Northern way...

2011-08-30T10:39:00.000+01:00

Bit of a tour around West Yorkshire. Real mix of stations. Wakefield Westgate – grand, but in desperate need of some TLC. Looks like someone has finally come to the rescue. Met the knowledgeable and energetic executive director of Groundwork Wakefield, Ken Taylor. Ken is piecing together the £3 million odd that is needed to turn this fine building into a source of community pride. I really hope he does it. Halifax shows what it could look like – cleaned stone gleaming in the sun, with a fantastic kids playground just next door. Lots of other great places and people. Sowerby Bridge and the Jubilee Refreshment Rooms. Spick and span, welcoming and brimming with ideas and energy – a great place for a quick pint. What is impressive is the energy and commitment of local people to make these things happen – the system should support them to do it!

Grand? Central?

2011-08-26T09:57:00.000+01:00

Finally, got to try out a Grand Central service. This is one of the ‘open access’ operators running services between West Yorkshire and the North East and London. The 10.48 from Kings Cross to Bradford Interchange was, in school holiday time, predictably quiet. Only five people in my carriage, but what a great service. The staff seem to really care and are really engaged. A cheerful good morning on the tannoy – no threats about having the wrong sort of tickets. You can buy tickets on board. All the crew, including the driver introduced. Nice and clean train, good layout with lots of tables. Three minutes late leaving but soon hurtling along with the ride a bit bumpy. Fast to Doncaster and then the service wanders off on a tour of West Yorkshire – only for those whom have a bit of time to spare. The only thing I could fault was one loo had no soap and another no water. The overall verdict? Very good as our National Passenger Survey results attest. Should there be more open access operators like this? This issue will no doubt come up in industry debates, but this one feels very passenger focused. Whether it makes overall sense to use up valuable space on the tracks for such a lightly used service is another matter but one thing is sure – the pressure to have direct trains to London will not go away.

Buying rail tickets online

2011-08-25T13:55:00.002+01:00

As the number of rail passengers swells, more and more of us are buying tickets online. For most passengers this is a positive experience – time to consider choices, lots of info and no pressure from those behind you in the ticket queue. We recently finished our first bit of research into buying tickets online. A mix of the experienced and inexperienced were interviewed in depth and presented with a range of sites and questions.

The result? Lots of good practice, lots of great examples of good clear information and lots of improvements. No one site stood out as ‘best’ – personal preferences seem to dictate which site passengers prefer to use. However, we picked out lots of things where things could be improved. Ultimately it is quite difficult to totally simplify a system where two singles can be cheaper than a return, but not always. Book ahead for the best deals? Yes, usually, but quotas are sometimes released late. First class can be cheaper than standard. Also the bewildering jargon and lack of information we found with ticket vending machines is also present – ‘..any route permitted’, but finding out what they are is difficult. ‘Not via HS1’ – what is HS1? ‘London terminals’ – what are they?

We will work with the industry to keep hacking away at this jargon and our report will form part of our input to the Government’s forthcoming fares review. In the meantime, I usually buy from the website of the train company I’m travelling with. Some give discounts on their own tickets and there are no credit card fees.

On the conveyance of skateboards by rail

2011-08-24T13:47:00.000+01:00

Heaving train from Paddington to Taunton. Whole experience made more interesting by the fact of skateboarding festival at Castle Cary. Lots of youths with their boards and rucksacks made it feel very cramped, but it was a good reminder of the social railway. Train full of people with their luggage going on holiday – just what the railway should be doing.

Don’t breathe

2011-08-22T15:28:00.000+01:00

The announcement every passenger fears: “..the 1423 to Paddington will arrive in five minutes, it is full and standing". A groan along the platform - luckily I had a seat reserved but lots of people were clearly standing for long distances. Real shame no staff appeared to try and help – it turned quite nasty as people jostled for space. First class and the restaurant car half empty as usual. How long can this go on? Charging people for a sub-standard service – free up a first class carriage, even if for one journey. More initiative please.

How good is my train service?

2011-08-05T13:55:00.000+01:00

Well if you were on it you probably know. But how does it compare? We recently published our National Passenger Survey and overall scores for train companies, when broken down by individual routes, again show wide variations. There is a 23% difference between the top and bottom performers, with value for money scores showing an even wider variation from 30% to 83%. Satisfaction with punctuality and reliability ranges from 73% to 97%. Satisfaction with getting a seat varies from 52% to 91%. The aim should now be to narrow these gaps, so that everyone can enjoy good quality rail services.

Love

2011-07-27T14:58:00.000+01:00

The litter picker on a recent Grand Central train journey. It was a fairly empty train. Did he sit reading the paper? No, went down the train cleaning the glass doors, picking up tiny bits of litter and polishing the tables. Real pride in the job. Impressive.

Mytholmroyd station. An unmanned station in West Yorkshire – birthplace of poet Ted Hughes. The station partnership has done a great job since 2006 turning the station from a run down, unloved place to a bright, cheerful place full of interest and flowers – the local volunteers are doing a great job – see http://mytholmroydstation.wordpress.com/. I was shown round by Geoff and Sue – keen, enthusiastic people who care about where they live. The railway has some really good friends.

Tell me what is happening!

2011-07-19T10:53:00.000+01:00

How the railway industry treats passengers when things goes wrong remains a problem. Our National Passenger Surveys shows some improvement in this area, but scores are low overall. We know from more research that the way delays are dealt with remains the biggest driver of dissatisfaction among those passengers who are unhappy overall with services.

All the anecdotal evidence backs this up - the post cable theft debacle at Waterloo recently – as well as the post lightning strike hold up. I caught a late running East Midlands Trains service from Manchester to Liverpool this week – I was happy because I caught a late running train otherwise I would have had to wait 40 minutes. However, lots of passengers were very vexed. No announcement about the delay, no apology, no comment. Just the standard thank you for travelling with us message on arrival. It just feels like no one cared – not very passenger focussed.

No one is pretending this is easy, but we have now had two longs periods of winter snow disruption to practice. The industry is investing more. The rail regulator is planning to toughen up the requirements to do this better. Meanwhile on the ground this remains the industry’s Achilles’ heel.

A tale of two ticket windows

2011-07-12T15:31:00.002+01:00

Monday evening, 1830 at Waterloo. Teeming with people. Loads of ticket machines - but only four ticket windows open – very long queue.

Tuesday morning, 0730 at Sevenoaks. Three ticket windows open – no queue.

Discuss...

2+2, 2+3 or lateral?

2011-07-04T16:49:00.002+01:00

No, not a maths question, but rail industry jargon for seating layouts on commuter trains. Some trains only have two sets of two seats – nice and comfy if you get a seat. Some have two plus three. Our research and a glance at any crowded train will show passengers dislike squeezing in or past others. Some trains have a mix – you need to know which bit to head for. A few trains, like the new London Overground ones have seats along the carriage like some tube trains. Not many seats, but plenty of standing room.

We did some work a year or so ago with Thameslink passengers. It was interesting how unaware they were of the huge investment and changes being made in the route – but if you work inside a goldfish bowl you can quickly forget that not everyone shares your interest in the detail. However, once explained the investment (subject to worries about price rises) was welcome. Then on to the new trains – how should they be laid out? Once the full new Thameslink service is up and running there will be 24 trains an hour going through the London tunnel sections of the route. New trains, new frequencies and other investment will attract many more passengers. Our passengers were very pragmatic. It is crowded and will get more crowded. Use pairs of two seats and allow more comfortable standing. Maybe we need to revisit that work now the trains are becoming a reality to make sure passengers’ needs are put first in the interior design.

Is my ticket value for money?

2011-07-01T12:29:00.000+01:00

No one could disagree with the aim of the Government-commissioned study into the costs of the rail industry – the recently published McNulty report. Reduce the costs of running and re-building the railway? Yes please. Try to stop the costs monster eating investment and fuelling eye watering fare rises? Yes please.

However, it’s how you do it that is important. Cutting peak services is unthinkable. Reducing visible staff will affect passenger feelings on personal security, information and disruption management. Introducing new peak prices to force some to use ‘cheaper’ tickets will cause resentment and accusation of a ‘rich man’s railway’. Forcing us all into booking ahead longer distance travel ignores how passengers currently use the railway and throws away one of the industry’s great advantages built up in recent years – fantastic frequencies in many places.

Something has to be done. Industry costs are spiralling, but this is not passengers fault. We are now facing inflation plus three per cent rises for the next three years. When you add in the generous flexibility that train companies are allowed to play with we are looking again at double digit fare rises, year after year, on some lines. The worst case scenario could see 40% fare rises by 2015! We are already paying some of the most expensive fares in Europe. We are doing our bit.

So, over to the industry and government. Organise the industry in a way that delivers value for money services. The real worry underlying the McNulty report is that it reads like a charter on to how to organise the industry to suit itself – the industry should organise around what passengers want. After all isn’t that the purpose of all this activity – to help us move around?

Thameslink new trains shock!

2011-06-29T12:39:00.001+01:00

Passengers using FCC's Thameslink services can breathe a little easier after the Government announced the preferred bidder for 1200 new carriages to serve cross London routes. The Thameslink route has always been very successful – it does something few other rail routes does – it takes passengers right into the heart of London or beyond avoiding the horrors of changing onto the tube. However, for a variety of historic, franchise structure and operational reasons the service has always left something to be desired.

I used it a long time ago and it was always very crowded. It made a deep impression on me when one day the 0823 from Herne Hill was so crowded everyone had to put their briefcases etc on the racks. As the train jolted off a very hard briefcase came down and nearly knocked me out. So a slow train coming – the new carriages won’t see service until 2015, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once the full service is running many more passengers will be attracted to use it and it will no doubt fill up again!

Flexible travel plans

2011-06-16T14:13:00.002+01:00

Coming back from France recently I finished my meeting earlier than anticipated and I was booked on a later train with a non-refundable ticket. Tried at Lille to ask if I could change my ticket or buy a new one. Eurostar staff pointed me to SNCF booking counter. After a 20 minute wait I was told that they don’t deal with Eurostar, so I would have to ring the number on the ticket. On a mobile from abroad that number would have been pricey, so I sat in cafe and waited for my train instead. If the price had been okay I would have bought a new ticket. So Eurostar lost some easy money. Why no ticket selling facilities in Lille which is one of their main hubs? Not very passenger focused.

The grass is greener

2011-06-08T10:07:00.000+01:00

Are trains and buses better abroad? From my experience some are, but quite a lot aren’t. Reassuring to find in Lille, when trying use the tramway recently, that the ticket vending machines are just as frustrating as ours. Given the ticket structure is simple – single, three-ticket carnet, or day rover, the machines were very poor. Graffiti on the screen made them hard to see, and it was not at all clear when you could use tickets. Not much user testing there!

One small step

2011-06-01T11:08:00.000+01:00

I was down at Clapham Junction the other night. Great to see the new lifts in and the new entrance from St John’s Hill now open. Will really help accessibility at this most problematic of busy stations – our recent research shows that the underpass is the key priority for improvement – these changes should help take some of the pressure off that dank place. Of course, what is really needed is a total rebuild. Mired in the planning system big changes seem a long way off while day in, day out, passengers have a grim time. Big stations get lots of attention. Small stations get lots of local attention. The medium sized, but very busy stations like East Croydon, Luton and Tottenham Hale need a lot of care and attention in the coming years.

Communication breakdown

2011-05-24T15:58:00.000+01:00

I have a slight feeling of dread when I see the Victoria line’s new carriages appear on my platform – you are never quite sure if they are going to make it to the end of the journey. They have improved a lot, but the doors continue to cause problems it seems.

Staring at the Tube map inside the carriage I spotted a very rare Transport for London information lapse - a totally out of date tube map showing the East London Line still under construction. Work has been completed and this great service is now linked up with the North London Line. It’s particularly odd given that the Victoria Line interchanges at Highbury and Islington with the North London Line Overground services....

A tale of two tickets

2011-05-16T10:01:00.000+01:00

London to Manchester. Not sure if I will get 06.55 or 07.25. The Tube can usually get you to Euston quickly at that time of the morning and, of course, wanting to take advantage of the great frequency of the service and get to Manchester quickly I go for open single which can be used on any train. £133 ouch.

Off peak single coming back – can be used on any train after 9.35 - £33 which is really good value.

Guess which train is the more crowded? The cheaper afternoon one of course. This pricing seems to be all about revenue generation not capacity management. Need to bear this in mind as Government and industry starts to mull changes to long-distance ticketing. If the industry had its way virtually all long-distance travel would be book ahead only, perfect for the industry, but sadly not the way passengers actually like to use the railway as our research shows.

Creatures of habit

2011-05-09T12:02:00.000+01:00

Us passengers are real creatures of habit. Watching commuters pour off a Cross Country train at Macclesfield it is amazing how many people have clearly got on in exactly the right place to ensure a good position in the race up the steps to get out of the station.

Pleasing commuters is difficult - often it seems like the job of the transport industry is more about not displeasing them. Stick to your promises, run on time, give a chance of a seat and no surprises. Keep it regular, keep it boring!

Bus quality

2011-04-28T15:27:00.002+01:00

While there are some strong regional variations over the years the rail industry has become more similar – it’s become quite good in most places. Bus services present a much wider range of experiences. Saw a brand new Stagecoach hybrid double-decker bus in Manchester being pursued down the street by a ratty old minibus run by Speedwell. Looked like two separate images from the developed and developing world! Consumer choice? Yes, at least there is a bus service for those people who use it, but does it have to feel like the last resort?

How to get things right, when things go wrong

2011-04-21T14:40:00.001+01:00

Last week there was an incident outside Leighton Buzzard station where a lady tragically died.

As a result there was significant disruption at London Euston and along the West Coast main line. The next morning I spoke with my head of communications who was not only there, but was trying to get to Leighton Buzzard!

She reported some good practice, lots of announcements, London Midland staff giving good, confident advice to frustrated and tired passengers.

While this was of course only anecdotal and the report is a small snapshot of a much bigger incident, it does show that it can be done. Goodwill does not need to be lost when things go wrong. Passengers understand that sometimes things happen, but what they want is calm, informed staff on hand to help.

The final twist in the tale came when she finally arrived at Leighton Buzzard station at approximately 21.00 (three hours after her intended arrival time). A sea of passengers flooded off and were met by a London Midland member of staff handing out delay repay forms – it was a nice touch and made a very long journey home slightly better.

Intercity?

2011-04-12T15:38:00.000+01:00

Among all the hype about the new high speed line between London, the Midlands and the North one thing has received less attention. If the second phase of the Y shape line is built, Manchester and Birmingham and Leeds and Birmingham (as well as South Yorkshire and East Midlands) will be much better connected providing that the high speed services actually reach the city centres and are at or adjoining existing rail stations for connectivity. This is vital if the benefits are to be realised. Electrification is coming to the underperforming Liverpool-Manchester route

The rail connections between Britain’s main regional cities remain mainly poor. Slow, unsuitable trains weave their way around trying to do too many things. Frequency is good – a train every half an hour between Manchester and Birmingham for example - but I can’t help thinking that this service is not really an alternative to the car.

Some routes have improved. The London Midland services from Birmingham to Liverpool and other places are much improved and have fast electric trains which are quite comfy. A contrast to the crowded, cramped Cross Country diesel trains from Birmingham to Manchester. An hour and a half journey, lots of people on and off at every station, relatively short trains with a mix of passengers going very long distance and lots of short hoppers. So the ‘Will the seat reservation really be taken up? ’ game is taken to a new high.

Roll on nonstop high quality real intercity services between our major regional cities. The one route that is left without any (credible) serious plans is Manchester - Leeds (0.8 million annual passenger journeys in 2009 and over one million if York is included). This major route needs some long-term thinking as well. Others include Brighton-London (5.8 million), Leicester-Nottingham (1.1 million); Bristol-Cardiff (0.6 million).

It takes just over an hour to drive from the M621 at the edge of Leeds all the way to Liverpool via the M62 on this corridor without exceeding the speed limit. The corresponding ‘Express’ train journey takes around 1h50m by direct service. The cost of car parking at Leeds station is comparable with the fuel cost alone of this journey for a typical reasonably efficient family car.

Should the core Manchester-Leeds-York section which generates the majority of journeys continue to be constrained by any notion of maintaining direct services to the outer reaches of the route? The significantly smaller flows may make justifying electrification more difficult.

Big Rail Two?

2011-04-08T11:45:00.002+01:00

Britain’s railways are attracting more passengers again and all the long-term predictions show that the use of rail is likely to increase.

So the start of the consultation on the new line between London and the West Midlands is welcome. It will create many more seats on the new line and release space on existing lines, so other communities can be better connected. The time savings seem like a useful by-product of what perhaps ought to be better dubbed ‘Big Rail Two’, not HS2. Sceptics of this major project argue such an expensive investment will choke off funding for the rest of the railway. Construction of HS2 and the spending of large sums of money are many years away. In the meantime the Government’s welcome commitment to, among other things, more electrification and new trains will help solve more immediate capacity issues in many parts of the country. This welcome investment should continue if railway is going to keep pace with forecasts – more and more passengers want to use the railways.

However, there lurking inside all this success is the costs bug – the ballooning costs of running the railway that threaten to soak up the new money.

We already have a costly railway compared to our European counterparts and the trick now is to ensure we have a successful and value for money railway – good for both the taxpayer and passengers.

Underselling rail

2011-04-05T14:10:00.000+01:00

On train, on the way back from Manchester. Ticket collection - always a tense time as you know some poor devil’s bought the wrong ticket. Oh no - woman says, “I had a ticket booked for the 1515 – can I pay the difference?” We are on 15:35, so this likely to be painful.

Relief – the ticket check reveals woman in question has a flexible off peak ticket - so she is safe. How many people fret, buy another ticket, think rail is rubbish value, break a leg to get on a particular train when they could wait all because the ticket validity is not clear from the.... ticket? The reservation ticket leads many to think, I am sure, that they can only travel on that train.

Virgin’s off peak singles, booked on line as part of a return journey are good value for money. Why not tell us poor passengers that? Rail undersells itself and the flexibility with ticketing it still offers. Be proud, be flexible! Off peak tickets are good – you do not have to book in advance.

Round and round Manchester by bus

2011-03-24T15:29:00.000Z

Spent the day with Julie Warburton, our bus passenger manager for the North West, testing out various bus services in Manchester. We followed a circular route planned by David Beer, a member of our development team. Pretty good, by and large. All buses well used. Bought day pass - £4.50 for unlimited travel on all bus operators in and around Manchester – seems like really good value for money especially as most one operator only day tickets seemed to be priced around £3.50. I suppose most people simply do not make many journeys using different operators, but stick to one bus, train or tram – especially when the free city centre bus has just got so much better. Used the opportunity to try out our bus passenger satisfaction questionnaire which seems to work okay – easy and relatively quick to fill in.

X43, Transdev from Chorlton Street to Higher Broughton. Few minutes late. Modern bus, leather seats, clean, attractive graphics
52, First to Pendleton Shopping City Salford. Bang on time, but old bus dirty inside, driver scruffy and uncommunicative. Rust on inside!
100, First to Trafford Centre. Better, but only just. Driver more chirpy, but bus dirty inside.
18, Arriva to Sale Moor. Clean, tidy bus which was one minute late
41, Finglands to West Didsbury. Older bus but well kept and on time
43, Stagecoach back to Piccadilly Gardens. Brand new electric/diesel bus – very smart - but got snarled up in Oxford Road’s road-works.

So, overall impressions were okay. Information at stops was alright, but some more route maps would be useful and there was no real-time information. Bus interchanges not bad – Trafford Centre and others. Good reminder of different markets bus serve: heaving student services up Oxford Road, longer distance travel to outer Manchester and circular route around. Also a good reminder of what vital social role buses plays – lots of these areas don’t look too well off.

When is an on-time train not on time?

2011-03-04T15:18:00.000Z

Well, it’s not a bad idea to start by asking passengers. We were baffled why some train companies satisfaction scores have remained low while their train performance has improved – the train companies concerned were equally concerned and worked with us on this. Normally there is a very strong link between performance and overall satisfaction – they go up and down together. So, we set about matching individual responses to our National Passenger Survey and the actual timing of the train the person was on. The results are very interesting.

The rail industry publishes figures for train performance based on the percentage of trains that arrive at their final destination. This is measured within five minutes for shorter distance services and 10 minutes for longer distance. What our research shows is that some trains – logged as on time by the industry – have arrived late at a lot of the stations on the way, but caught up at the end.

This explains why some passenger satisfaction with punctuality lags behind the published figures. The industry collects all the ‘on-time’ figures, but these are not public. So this research begs lots of questions. Should the number of ‘right-time’ trains be a performance measure? Should punctuality also be measured at intermediate stations? Should the five and ten minute bands be tightened up? Can the published date be broken down by individual routes rather than just published at a very high level?

Some bigger passenger questions underlie all of this. No one wants to see timetables ‘padded’ to ensure trains arrive on time. However, the timetable which is the service that passengers actually buy, should be based on fact, not fiction. What would be the price of getting more trains on time? Are passengers willing to tolerate a bit of lateness now and then, rather than face even steeper price rises? These are the things we are going to explore next.

Hop on the bus, but maybe not in MK?

2011-02-25T15:49:00.000Z

Why don’t more people use buses? We don’t do a lot of work on non rail use as the trains are booming and we argue just look at what drives passenger satisfaction, do more of it and more passengers will come.

However, bus use outside of London is patchy. Growing in some places, declining in others, but pretty steady overall. Why is this? Generally people are becoming wealthier so they tend to buy cars. Out of town developments show no sign of abating and increasing important things like hospitals are leaving town centres. However, as we know from our surveys, bus users rate their services quite highly and fuel prices are rising – so, why is bus use static?

Working with Milton Keynes Council (MKC) we set out to find out why more people don’t use the bus. Milton Keynes was an interesting choice. Designed for motor vehicles should it not suit bus use as well? It was recently named as one of Britain’s most car dependent cities, so it was a good test bed.

What we found was interesting. Many folk, when we got them using buses were pleasantly surprised how good they were – more frequent, cleaner and not as expensive as they thought. However, many found it difficult to get going – which route? Which timetable? Which fare? Some had trouble even finding the bus stops where you might expect to get some information.

So, promote bus services, offer free travel as a trial, take a hard look at bus stops and keep them clean. We are now talking to MKC and main operator about all this – let’s see what we can do together.

Snatching success from the jaws of defeat, or not

2011-02-15T12:06:00.000Z

How rail companies handle disruption, as seen in the recent snow problems, can be really boosted or sunk by information. The train from Manchester to London has become boringly reliable. ]

So, very odd when the other day the 15.55 sat very quietly as departure time approached. You can always tell when something is wrong – the clock ticks around and it is very, very silent. Finally, about 16.05 a totally inaudible announcement – the intercom was not working on coach E. I set off up the train to find passengers who had heard there was a problem (no train manager), but we should be off soon. The great dilemma – sprint across to try and catch 16.15 or sit tight. One small announcement would do it – give us a clue! Nothing was mentioned. By the time I had gone back up the platform to find staff who had no idea what was going on, the 16.15 pulled out. Ten minutes later we are off – not a disaster – but I would like to be home earlier.

What happens in these situations? Surely someone should think these passengers need some information? We will keep working at it!

Cuts, cuts and more cuts

2011-02-07T17:00:00.000Z

The quadruple whammy of changes to the fuel subsidy received by bus operators, changes to the way local authorities are paid back to fund the concessionary fares scheme, fuel price rises and big changes to local authority funding are posing a major threat to some bus services. Rural and small town services, which are provided at the margins of commercial viability or are supported by local authority funding, look very vulnerable – price rises could simply drive passengers away.

Local authorities face some tough, unenviable choices about what to support in a difficult economic environment. That is a local political decision. However, we have been urging local authorities to consult passengers, talk to bus operators and think carefully to see if some routes can be saved or created out of this situation. Some, like Central Bedfordshire Council, have followed our advice and consulted thoroughly and used feedback to adapt their proposals. They’re still delivering the necessary savings, but this smarter approach will ensure that changes are less painful for passengers. So, it can be done....

Bright spots of the British transport system – the North London Line

2011-01-31T16:53:00.000Z

Dalston Kingsland is a very cramped station. The day I used it the customer information system was out of action at platform level and oddly no announcements were being made. Felt strange in what otherwise feels like a very closely managed system. Lots of evidence of building activity – new signals going in, the connection with the East London Line being completed and some painting has taken place. Staff in clear evidence, both in the booking hall and picking up litter at platform level. However, first train that appears is a big noisy smelly diesel dragging containers off to the Midlands. It seems extraordinary that a lot of Britain’s container freight still has to use this busy urban railway track. The rail passenger improvements really become evident the further along the line you get. Highbury & Islington – previously a byword for a grotty, neglected unsafe station now is starting to feel and look good. Long overdue but very welcome and once the whole system is brought up to scratch and connected with the East London line is going to be popular. I only hope the four coach trains can eventually cope with that success as I suspect they are going to get crowded.

Just how good is my train?

2011-01-27T10:15:00.000Z

Well you were on it so you know. Most passengers only use one route and one train company, so is your route a good one compared to others? Is your route a poor performer? Yesterday we published the results of our rail National Passenger Survey broken down by train company routes. Passengers, and others, can now get a much better idea of how their services compare to others run by the company as well as others across Great Britain. It would be really good if the train performance data could be published in the same way.

You can see we have broken the results down by journey purpose, age and gender. We have also included a feature on what passengers do while on the train – reading and window gazing feature large!

Satisfaction overall, remains steady and relatively high. 84% of passengers are satisfied with their journey. However, underlying these figures are wide variations. On the best routes nearly every passenger is satisfied. On lower scoring routes 72% of passengers are satisfied. We will use all this data to make a difference for passengers by working on the routes and factors where performance is weaker. Value for money scores are up again, probably as an on-going consequence of the January 2010 fares freeze. It will be interesting to see what happens to these scores when the January 2011 rises affect the next wave of the survey this spring.

Bright spots of the British transport system number 3467 – the East London Line

2011-01-25T12:06:00.000Z

Finally tried out the revamped East London Line – it really is very, very good. The trains themselves, with their tube style seating, long views right down the train, bright uncluttered interiors and clear information would seem to set a new standard for urban trains. Having just got off a badly refurbished Southern metro train the contrast could not be stronger. The ride is smooth and jolt free – the new bits of track seem to have been built to a very high standard. The older stations have been brilliantly restored – old buildings but with modern utility. And the new stations? Fantastic – had a good look round Shoreditch High Street – clearly positioned as a hub for yet more development. The only criticism I can make is that the busy interchange with the Jubilee Line at Canada Water only had one down escalator – this must get very busy in the rush hour. Finally up to Dalston Junction and you can really see the point of all this. Not a rich area it now finally has a decent rail connection to job and other opportunities. It will be very interesting to see what passengers make of this in the forthcoming National Passenger Survey.

Palace of varieties?

2011-01-20T13:40:00.002Z

Now the London Overground uses Crystal Palace as one of it terminals even more life has been breathed back into this wonderful station. When the old booking hall had a fortune spent on it a few years back I did wonder whether, rather than restoring Victorian staircases, putting in lifts might be good idea, but the large scale of this extraordinary location (a junction station placed just before a major tunnel) now looks right again as the station feels much busier. It seems like there is usually an Overground train waiting in the platform – just what you want on a cold day!

Neat and tidy

2011-01-14T09:52:00.000Z

It’s been a long time since I headed south from Balham towards Crystal Palace through Streatham Hill, West Norwood and Gipsy Hill. Lots of station improvements along the way – new access at Streatham Hill, improved lighting, new shelters and shiny paint everywhere. What a difference – simple stuff – but the look and feel of the stations has been transformed. Would this have all happened if these things not been specified in the franchise? Maybe, because I think Southern do care about these things, but it certainly made certain. Now, what about Balham?

A tale of two stations

2011-01-06T13:04:00.002Z

Greenhithe station in North Kent is one of the first of Network Rail’s ‘kit’ modular stations. Modern, bright, clean with the basics that passengers need (including two members of staff!), lifts and good information. Perhaps the ‘kit’ design is not ideal when architectural sensitivities are in play, but would suit many locations.

Just up the line Dartford - you cannot believe you are on the same network. A station from the 1970s, with grime seemingly designed in. Not really big enough, dingy, very old information screens, yet actually a really busy station. Just ripe for a slightly bigger kit station? With ticket prices soaring in Kent, passengers in Dartford deserve better than this.

I have a dream...

2011-01-04T14:05:00.000Z

Spent the morning travelling around the Fastrack bus network in North Kent. It is very impressive and the most joined up piece of planning and public transport I have ever seen. High-quality buses, using lots of dedicated bus lanes, traffic lights that change when the bus approaches, some bus lanes with barriers that lift up at the end, good quality bus stops and information well displayed.

The big surprise – passengers seem to like it and use it as the service is fundamentally reliable with lots of buses – just what our research shows passengers want. Government agencies, councils and Arriva , the sole operator of the system, have done well to knit together very disparate agendas, land ownership and commercial interests to make something really work. The information screens put into some of the new housing developments that show real-time bus information are a winner!

The future? Uncertain. The changes to government development agencies and the huge pressures on local authority funding mean future funding will be in doubt. While the system could no doubt be packaged up and let on some form of contract with an operator it would be a real shame if the cohesion of the network was lost. I would love to survey the passengers to see what their levels of satisfaction are.

What do we want? Information! When do we want it? Now!

2010-12-22T10:28:00.000Z

What do we want? Information! When do we want it? Now!
The traditional rallying cry of all transport users has become even more shrill in this freezing weather..air, road, rail, bus – doesn’t matter which way people are going they want information so they can make sensible decisions.

When the snow has melted and all the inevitable ‘how did we do reviews’ start to fall instead we will be pressing very hard, alongside all the big stuff about snow ploughs and overhead wires, to ensure that this crisis becomes an opportunity to really start to crack information during disruption. Passenger Focus has been warning for year that, as performance has steadily improved, information during disruption has become the rail industry’s Achilles Heel. Let’s now make sure the Heel is sorted!

Clapham Junction

2010-12-21T17:05:00.002Z

One of my great hopes if that, one day, I can catch a train at a massively improved Clapham Junction railway station. One the busiest stations in Britain our recent research shows that passengers main priority for improvement is the horrible underpass. The new lifts and stairs going in are, however, coming along well but the big refurbishment scheme is stuck in planning permission somewhere.

I will keep dreaming...

Learning to love the bus stop

2010-12-15T11:08:00.000Z

Our report on why people don’t use buses in Milton Keynes is out tomorrow – done jointly with the local council. Good place to pick on as Milton Keynes was recently named as the most car dependent town in Britain – but if it is good for cars it also should be good for buses surely?

The research is illuminating. Concerns about reliability and cost figured high. But so did the simple problem of being able to spot the bus stops! If the industry and council don’t advertise the existence of services they are going to be overlooked .

The good news is that once we got people trying the bus, the experience was much better than they thought it was going to be. The conclusions: give away lots of free bus tickets and get people trying them, plus make the bus stops visible. The humble bus stop has a long way to go ‘services every ten minutes to city centre’, ‘fast frequent services to town’ etc, etc. Bus design has come on miles but the bus stop needs the same attention. So lots of work to do with the operator and council to see if we can improve things.

Yes, ticket machines again..

2010-12-10T10:03:00.000Z

London Bridge early Saturday evening. I really could not have scripted this better myself:

Him: ‘... just get the more expensive ticket..’
Her (having given up at ticket machine and joined queue for window): ‘but it said FCC only...’
Him: ‘the train is going in five minutes...’
Her: ‘those ticket machines are s*** unless you know exactly what you want... so frustrating!’

Says it all really. Lots of work to be done here.

Passengers snowed under?

2010-12-03T13:40:00.003Z

This is the third tough winter in a row. Last year we had the Garnett enquiry into Eurostar’s problems last Christmas and New Year. We had a government ordered enquiry into ‘winter resilience’ which came up with a host of recommendations. The rail industry industry promised us that lessons had been learned, investments, like new heaters for rail points, information beefed up.

Yet, here we are again. Bad stories of passengers stranded. Poor quality information abounds. Parts of the country cut off. Yes, autumn and winter have followed hard on each other. Yes, this is coldest start to winter on record. Yes, the ‘third rail’ electrical system south of Thames –a cheaper investment option years ago, is prone to icing. Yes, passengers understand that things can happen, trains can break down and rail staff will struggle to get to work just as they do. Yes, staff are doing their best in very difficult circumstances. However, what we passengers cannot forgive is the poor quality of information.

Passenger Focus has just carried out a ground breaking piece of research into how disruption is dealt with. We recruited a 1000 strong army of passengers who fed us over 2000 comments. These have already led to many changes of processes. The key messages were clear – treat us like human beings and give us useful, timely information. What was really striking was that disruption well handled can boost satisfaction – it’s an opportunity to impress your customers.

Give us back our weekends

2010-11-26T17:33:00.002Z

What is going on with the Underground. On Saturday, trying to get to the Railfuture re-openings conference (ironically) the Jubilee, Victoria and Circle line shut plus other partial closures. Bank was a nightmare. All on the day of the Lord Mayor's fireworks. Yes, I know there is never a good time to do engineering works. Yes, I know it’s good all the money is being dug into the ground. But, such widespread closures? Sunday is now a very busy day for train companies (second busiest day of the week for some) but you might not be able to get anywhere having reached London!

Protected upbringing

2010-11-25T12:15:00.000Z

I have led a sheltered passenger life. For years I have had an annual season ticket and the Gold Card that comes with it – already paid for zones one to three and a third off leisure fares made my usual run to my dad’s in Sevenoaks under £5 one way off peak – good value. Now our office has moved I am on pay as go for the non-cyling days. That means I pay full whack - £9.30 single – ouch! I could get to Manchester for less than that. Rail fares can be pricey and London and the South East pays the most and this is before the next fare rises. Rail is really going to have to deliver if it is going to stay competitive at these prices...

Three chairs...

2010-11-24T09:56:00.000Z

Very odd sight on bridge embankment on west coast. Three black plastic chairs lined up to face trains. All have single, large white ‘S’ painted on them. What can ‘SSS’ mean? Some secret signal to drivers? A few miles later we were held up by a cow on the line, apparently an increasingly common occurrence. Were these events linked?

Give me a reference/bright spots of the British Transport System part 345

2010-11-15T16:24:00.000Z

Rail ticket on departure machines are great. Have used them hundreds of time, always worked, avoids queues and usually plenty of floorwalkers around as well. However, is it me, or are the reference numbers they use a bit counterintuitive? RH4X8ZX9 – takes an age to type in on a QWERTY keyboard. Could this be simplified?

Ardwick in bloom

2010-11-15T16:21:00.002Z

An eleven year effort to spot a passenger on Ardwick station continues with no success. However, lovely red, white and yellow roses in bloom. Who is that guerrilla gardener?

Shiny new buses

2010-11-15T16:19:00.000Z

The slightly ratty free minibuses in Manchester have been replaced by shiny, new, diesel/electric hybrids with leather seats. I notice that First appear to have the contract back and the new buses are a really positive example of what public transport can look like.

Epic journey – King’s Lynn to Manchester

2010-11-02T15:03:00.002Z

Could just go down to London and back out again but have been on the Euston Manchester route too many times and fancy a change. So King’s Lynn to Ely on First Capital Connect. Change there for Cross Country to Peterborough. Up on East Coast from there to Leeds and then Trans Pennine to Manchester – about four hours in total with not much connection waiting time. All went very well, connections made and information good. So not so epic just very long but saw Britain from the Fens to the Pennines – what a beautiful country!

Integrated transport, the holy grail of many transport planners

2010-10-29T16:15:00.000+01:00

Plotting how to get to cemetery for funeral in Essex. So check c2c website – yes, taxi rank at station. Double check on Train Taxi website, yes, taxis at station. Great one worry out of way. Arrive at station. No taxis, rank went about four years ago but still on station poster with out of date taxi numbers. Staff seem blissfully unaware but have a card of local company and get there in time. Integrated transport will only work of the most basic thing of all – information is present and correct!

C2C to West Horndon

2010-10-26T13:59:00.000+01:00

Fenchurch very quiet at lunchtime – this is a really peaky railway. Good services – modern trains, air conditioning, fast, toilets, clean, lots of information, bang on time and not unreasonable prices. No wonder passengers rate them so highly in our National Passenger Survey. I wish this magic dust could settle all over the railway!

A funeral in Essex

2010-10-21T14:33:00.000+01:00

Might just make the 1240 train, quick walk, get ticket at office (certainly not the machine!), grabbed sandwich, through gate, minute to spare all going well, can clearly see train. Aggh! Horrible trick of parking static coaches in front of actual train that is going somewhere. Sprint last 50 metres, just made it. Hot. Please park trains near the barrier or it can really add to total journey time and stress among us passengers.

Bright spots of the British transport system

2010-10-13T10:18:00.000+01:00

A friend is over from Germany. Travelling off peak, booking in advance (but not much), Internet savvy gets £25 advance ticket from Grantham to Balham and £23 odd advance ticket on Virgin and Northern to Manchester Airport. Very happy bunny! Longer distance train travel, if you can book ahead and be very specific about your train, can be very good value for money indeed. However, interesting hearing from her about German railways – you have to book in advance, if more than one person travelling cheaper to take the car, very expensive if you turn up and go....all sounds very familiar.

Notter Bridge bus stop

2010-10-06T12:27:00.000+01:00

There is still lots of work to do to improve the bus passenger experience.

The picture below shows a bus stop at Notter Bridge on the A38 in Cornwall isolated following Highways Agency ‘improvements’!

Our man in the South West, Joe Lynch, is struggling to get this situation sorted out...

Tried using c2c ticket machine

2010-09-29T11:12:00.000+01:00

Fenchurch Street BR? What is BRRR? Zones 12&56? What happened to 3 and 4? Good thing is that time restrictions on ticket are displayed on machine in terms of when you can start using ticket, but of course not on ticket itself. Our recent research on the passenger experience of ticket vending machines is borne out again – of all our research this is the one that most people, including the Secretary of State, have commented on and said – you are right, these machines are awful and I avoid them if I can!

Heat, light and power on the Underground

2010-09-23T16:50:00.000+01:00

We all know the Underground is hot, very hot. In the summer it can be close to unbearable.

What therefore is the last thing you need more of? Something that pours out heat, right? So the installation of video advertising posters and projectors seems cruel. I am sure they generate lots of much needed cash but compared to the Heath Robinson giant fans put in at a few stations (which appear to have no effect whatsoever), the imbalance in energy and cash thrown at the two issues seems very disparate.

The Victoria Line

2010-09-21T12:01:00.000+01:00

New trains being introduced always bring problems as the trains are seemingly tested in service – surely the car industry does not develop its products like this?

I know the way the train relates to the track and stations can bring problems but the new trains seem a mixed blessing. I am convinced they are hotter than the old ones and when a train pulls in, the hot air blasting out from the train is tremendous. Roll on winter and a cooling off...

It's behind you....

2010-09-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

Green buses - green engines that is, not the colour. Fine, but as I was cycling home the other day, I found one side effect.

I look behind me constantly – convinced that eye contact with drivers is crucial as if they think you don’t know they are there they tend to push up close. Keep listening as well.

However, as I plugged away into the prevailing westerly wind I suddenly became aware of something. I glanced back to find a huge double-decker bus just behind me – its hybrid engine is very quiet.

The key to safe cycling is keeping alert to what is happening around you...

Getting to Europe

2010-09-14T11:53:00.000+01:00

Taking a two hour flight across Europe makes you think – why don’t we take the train?

I might do next time, but with young children the cost and convenience factors still push you into the air. The great opportunity for affordable cross-Europe rail travel could well be missed by the railways.

Europe’s integration has been fuelled by low cost airlines and coaches while the railways remain for the relatively rich. It’s a shame as mass rail transit across Europe makes a lot of sense. Will Britain’s high speed rail link to the continent join up with the new high speed line to the North? It will be interesting to see what happens.

Flying – agh!

2010-09-10T10:44:00.000+01:00

Off to the Continent for holiday with kids means taking the once a year flight. What an unpleasant experience all round as you progress through the circles of hell, the component parts of which seem to have no connection with each other.

We get up at a really early hour where we are met by check-in stress (luggage, kids plus, of course, we failed to check-in online as we ran out of time). The airline staff are good and head straight for someone to help them use the check-in machine.

Security – much improved but horrible, degrading process. We show our passports and are finally out into the bright retail heaven of the terminal. By this time you have been up for hours and feel very light headed...coming back, a dismal handling of disruption – there is much to learn from the rail industry on this. No information, staff milling around, reason given for delay does not look very valid and all done in great heat with my 85-year-old dad starting to look faint. Largely Brits coming home so no one complained!

Norfolk Green buses

2010-09-08T13:59:00.000+01:00

I’ve recently been up in North West Norfolk where I have had lots of opportunities to see and try Norfolk Green’s services. Friendly staff, clean modern buses, seem to be quite punctual but the narrow coastal road keeps things a bit unpredictable. Clear bus stop information and you just might come across the managing director driving one of the buses – now that is keeping in touch with what happens on the ground and must help keep the company passenger focused.

Getting a bite to eat...

2010-09-01T11:20:00.000+01:00

Catering on trains remains a slight mystery.

Virgin staff seem to spend hours stocktaking. They open the shop for a bit, then stock up the trolley (doing another stocktake in the process). Then they bring the trolley back (time for another stocktake), open the shop again briefly before shutting and then a final end of journey stocktake. Very satisfying for audit purposes but you cannot help thinking that if they spend more time selling rather than counting the Mars bars it might be better for everyone.

East Coast has really good catering but it so poorly advertised. Since they withdrew the democratic access of us standard class passengers to the restaurant, where you could treat yourself to a superb breakfast, things have chopped and changed. However, I managed to track down a £4.50 fish pie, brought to my seat – delicious. So poorly advertised and seemingly partly dependent on whether there is a chef on the train. Shame because is it really good – shout about it!

High speed bits versus total journey time

2010-08-25T14:25:00.000+01:00

Victoria line up to King’s Cross, then what feels like a 48,000 mile walk up to the National Rail station round and round – it’s a long way! Makes you realise how places like King’s Cross are becoming mega interchanges and the problem of getting people up from the deep tube lines is immense.

But it also makes you think about the total journey time – you may shave 10 minutes off a journey to Birmingham but if it takes you 10 minutes longer to get from the tube, you are no better off.

This is the same for all journeys. My cycle to work takes the same time as getting through our new offices’ fiendishly efficient security, right to the end of the underground car park where planners always stick the bikes and then the walk back. It’s better than travelling by tube, but it is amazing how the different legs of journeys add up – I remember reading somewhere it was not the length of journeys that were stressful, but the number of times you had to change which has a direct link with stress.

Useful customer information systems

2010-08-18T16:05:00.000+01:00

At many stations in and around London, the frequency has got so good you really do not need a timetable. So why, at places like Balham, do the customer information systems tell you negative and useless information?

The 8.36am to London Victoria is a minute late. I don’t care. All I need to know is that the next train to Victoria is in three minutes.

So, why not put in a whopping great info board that says that? Don’t measure what is happening to the bits of metal, measure what is happening or might happen to the passengers. You can sell success that way – high frequency services, just like the tube not a dribble of one minute lateness!

Carry on

2010-08-12T11:06:00.000+01:00

Wow, the main platforms at King’s Cross really have now become a building site. We have got very good in this country at rebuilding major bits of kit while keeping the railway going.

Farringdon now looks amazing – an impressive hole in the ground for the Crossrail station and new Thameslink services. Funny however that, at King’s Cross, London Underground and Network Rail have separate multi-storey portakabins – surely they are working as a team...?