Make what matters to your passengers really count
THE last few years have been turbulent for both passengers and the railway. As the railway adapts to the changes in how people need and want to travel, against the backdrop of a difficult financial environment, it’s important that passengers’ voices are heard and listened to.
Both government and industry are in alignment that an improved passenger experience and increased use, particularly arising from rail reform, is required. Government recognises that change is needed to help the railways become more customerfocused and financially sustainable, working in the national interest as a public service.
Every five years, Network Rail sets out its plans for the next five-year investment period. At the beginning of the current investment period (April 2019), Network Rail re-organised and created five regions, split into 14 routes, with the intention of putting passengers first in their decision-making and delivery.
Since then, the pandemic has caused lasting shifts in how passengers use the railway, challenging the rail industry to adapt faster, become more efficient and continue to demonstrate value for money.
To help inform each of the NR regions’ strategic business plans for the next investment period (Control Period 7, 2024-29), we asked over 15,000 rail passengers across Great Britain to tell us what is important to them.
The research provides an importance ranking for 25 aspects of rail services, and shows how passengers think the railway is performing in each of those areas. It gives a clear view on what matters to passengers, and where the railway should target investment and effort to meet passengers’ aspirations.
The goal of the research is to update our understanding of passengers’ expectations of the railway post-pandemic, in the light of changes to our ways of working and what will make a positive difference for passengers.
Difficult funding decisions and choices will be made next year. What matters to passengers should inform those decisions, via our Britain’s Railway: what matters to passengers 2022 survey.
Transport Focus has identified what matters most to passengers’ (in absolute terms), and then asks how they think the railway is performing in these areas. This highlights where investment and effort can best be targeted by the railway in CP7.
We also explore in more depth passengers’ views on punctuality, reliability, engineering works, the environment, and accessibility.
Back to basics
The most important features for passengers (well ahead of others) remain value for money, and the reliability and punctuality of services. Regardless of the type of passenger, these two areas are almost universally regarded as the most important when travelling by train.
Improved value for money is also the feature which passengers are most likely to say would lead to an increase in the amount that they travel by train.
Apart from the price and value for money of train tickets, what matters most to passengers on the railway tends to fall into two areas:
■ The delivery of (and communication around) the rail service itself - including reliability and punctuality, sufficiently frequent trains, accurate and timely information, and being kept informed about delays.
■ Passengers’ experiences on the train, with getting a seat on a train and personal security on trains of above average importance.
Journey purpose
What’s important to passengers varies by journey purpose.
Leisure passengers tend to have a more focused range of needs - value for money, reliability, and getting a seat on a train.
Business travellers have more varied requirements, with greater emphasis on (for example) good connections with other services, quick journeys, and reliable WiFi on trains.
What matters most for commuters is getting to work. Their needs centre on reliable, good value and frequent trains, quick journey times, information provision, communication, and strong connections with other services.
However, at the same time, the changing workplace, and in particular the growth in home and hybrid working, has pushed commuters away from the train.
The rise in home working is a significant driver of those who have lapsed or reduced their train travel. Around half of commuters have reduced the frequency or stopped commuting. The main reasons cited are price and the ability to work from home.
Accessibility
In common with all passengers, value for money and the reliability and punctuality of
train services are what matter most to disabled passengers. However, the accessibility of trains and stations is what matters most for those who travel with a mobility scooter or wheelchair.
Accessibility factors and their improvement tend to benefit all passengers, not just those with accessibility concerns. For example, clear announcements and easy-to-use ticket machines were of highest importance in terms of making train travel more accessible for all passengers.
Planned disruption
We asked passengers about the ‘least bad’ time for the railway to be closed due to engineering work.
Sundays are, by a significant margin, perceived to be the least disruptive days of the week for a planned closure. However, sometimes bigger projects need more time to maintain and improve the railway. So, we sought to understand whether passengers have a preference for a shorter but continuous period of planned disruption, or one spread out over a longer period but only at weekends.
On balance, passengers slightly prefer a single closure of nine days (including two weekends) over a series of six weekend closures.
Age is a significant influence on opinions. Young people are significantly more likely to prefer a one-week closure, while older people are less likely to have an opinion or don’t mind when the closures take place.
Other differences between passenger types indicate that the more frequently a passenger travels, the more favourable they are towards the six-weekend closure option for engineering works.
Environment
The railway has a responsibility to mitigate its impact on the environment, and to adapt for the impacts of a changing climate. We asked passengers for their views on which areas of potential investment are most important.
In recent years, many passengers will have experienced disruption due to extreme weather, such as high winds and severe winter storms. Furthermore, these questions were asked very soon after the disruption caused by extremely high temperatures in summer 2022, and this may have magnified passengers’ concerns.
Passengers rate the ability to cope with adverse weather as the most important environmental issue for the railway. This is unsurprising given the link to reliability and punctuality.
However, the way in which trains are powered is of equal importance, when we combine those who would like greater use of renewable resources with the desire for railways to invest in electric, battery and hydrogen-fuelled trains.
Lapsed passengers
We wanted to understand the views of people who have travelled by train in recent years, but not in the last 12 months.
Almost two-thirds of these ‘lapsed’ rail passengers say that cheaper fares would be very likely to encourage them to travel by rail. The cost-of-living crisis is likely making value for money a more important factor.
The cost of train tickets is the main reason why leisure passengers have stopped or reduced the amount that they travel by rail. Business travellers are also travelling less, or have stopped travelling for business because they are tending to use video calls instead.
Lapsed passengers are significantly less positive towards train travel since the start of the pandemic, with safety being top of mind especially for those who are vulnerable. However, cheaper fares are the most significant factor in encouraging lapsed passengers back to the railway.
Funding decisions within ongoing financial constraints will influence tomorrow’s railway. A focus on what matters most to passengers, and a greater understanding of why lapsed passengers have not returned to rail, can help with putting in place measures to attract passengers to rail.
Looking back at 2022, too many passengers experienced a year of reduced timetables and service disruption caused by industrial action. The recovery from COVID-19 has accelerated changing travel trends, as well as having a profound impact on the railway’s finances.
The railway is at a moment of change. Our role is to ensure that the user view is at the heart of these changes. An early new year resolution for Britain’s railway should be to focus on what matters to passengers in 2023 to deliver for today’s passengers and to attract lapsed passengers back to rail.