Mourners let down by rail as trains failed to deliver on momentous day

ENCOURAGING people to ditch their cars and opt to travel by train would, at face value, seem to be an easy win.

Why spend time at the wheel, enduring congestion and negotiating busy roads, when one could kick back, read a book or watch the scenery fly by with a cup of tea to hand, while someone else worries about the driving? As the old adverts once proudly declared: let the train take the strain.

And yet two factors will be uppermost in travellers’ minds when it comes to choosing to travel by rail rather than road: affordability and reliability.

As the watchdog Transport Focus writes in GWR’s 2022 Annual Customer and Stakeholder Report, value for money and punctuality are priorities among passenger focus groups, along with being able to get a seat.

While petrol prices may have climbed to sums unimaginable a few years ago, it is still far from easy to find train tickets over long distances which are cheaper than taking the car – especially as rail travel may also involve factoring in station parking fees. Some exorbitant ticket prices for lengthy train trips can even rival those of internal flights.

That said, for many the costs are worth paying, given the relative convenience of train travel.

However, the second key factor – reliability – must also be taken into account, and poor punctuality can act as a serious deterrent, especially among those who have suffered a shoddy service in the past.

That was brought keenly into focus this week, when many people travelling to the capital on Monday for the Queen’s funeral found themselves stuck on trains delayed by problems with overhead wires, which were still being fixed yesterday morning.

It was deeply disappointing for those whose plans were ruined – the apologies of train staff acting as little comfort given how special the occasion was.

The problem lay with Network Rail, and yet under the divided system it was the train companies that faced the anger of travellers.

Some of those, forced to watch the funeral procession on their mobile phones while stuck in carriages or on platforms, could have been forgiven for vowing never to take the train again.

It was a particularly poor advert for our rail services – given everything else during the day’s proceedings ran like clockwork.

And it comes at a time when train companies are still trying to win back passengers who deserted public transport in their droves during the pandemic, as operators were forced to cut services and enforce social distancing, while travellers opted against joining the crowds to avoid the possibility of catching Covid. An increase in home working which followed the lockdowns has also hit train commuter numbers.

Now the threat of further rail strike action is set to make train travel appear even less attractive – especially to those who seldom travel by rail.

Competitive fares and excellent punctuality are essential when it comes to enticing people out of their cars and on to public transport, with all the environmental benefits that brings.

Too often, that falls short. Disgruntled passengers see it and say it – now get it sorted.