Keep passengers in mind when planning upgrades, warns travel watchdog

The boss of independent travel watchdog Transport Focus has warned Network Rail and train operating companies to keep passengers in mind as the nation’s railway network is transformed with new trains and better infrastructure in the coming years.

“It’s very easy to forget that the purpose of spending a lot of money is to keep the passengers happy and to hopefully attract a few more,” Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, told a Westminster Transport Forum dedicated to discussing the future of Britain’s railway infrastructure. “The focus on the passenger in the next few years is absolutely crucial.”

He said the train operating companies, Network Rail and the Government need to manage disruption to services – both planned and unplanned – clearly. “The Government should be interested in this as they want to get credit for investment, not for getting people’s backs up. The rail industry is getting better at this because there is a lot of investment being made. You’ve got to keep those improvements focused on the passenger, though,” he told delegates.

Smith also said the main way of keeping passengers happy was to run trains on time. “There’s a very strong correlation between overall satisfaction and trust; your customers will trust you if you run the trains on time – if you’re not running the trains on time that trust can ebb away,” he said.