Working with passengers towards a ‘right time’ railway

Passenger Focus is calling for the rail industry to tell passengers how many of its trains are actually arriving at the station on time. Currently, the industry measures trains as being punctual if they arrive at the final station within five or 10 minutes (depending on journey length).

The National Passenger Survey Autumn 2009 results show that nationally, passenger satisfaction with punctuality/reliability is at a record high of 83%.

However, Passenger Focus, with the help of National Express East Anglia (NXEA), has undertaken research looking at the relationship between passenger satisfaction and train lateness. Passenger Focus welcomed NXEA’s cooperation in the research as an important contribution to understanding how passenger satisfaction can be improved in East Anglia and across the wider rail network.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Passengers tell us they are increasingly satisfied with punctuality on the railway. Passenger Focus welcomes National Express’s work with us to understand how passenger satisfaction can be further improved.”

The National Passenger Survey (NPS) shows that train punctuality is the leading factor in whether passengers will be satisfied overall with the rail service they receive. This latest research found passengers judge lateness from the first minute the train arrives at the destination after the scheduled time. For every minute that a train is late, passenger satisfaction drops by two percentage points.

The independent passenger watchdog welcomed the fact that across the rail network more trains were arriving at the final destination within five or 10 minutes of the scheduled timetable.

Mr Smith said: “Passengers want their trains actually on time, not up to five or 10 minutes late. To drive passenger satisfaction higher, train companies and Network Rail should focus on running trains to the timetable – not just at the final destination, but at intermediate stations too. We found that less than half of passengers in this study get to their home station on time – even though many of the trains they caught will have counted as on time at the final destination.

“Longer term, we are calling on the industry to move towards a system which reports to passengers whether trains are arriving on time rather than within five or 10 minutes.”

Passenger Focus will be calling on the Department for Transport to consider these findings as it looks at setting future targets for the industry.

Click HERE to find the cheapest ticket for your next UK train journey.