It’s not often passengers are faced with a track washed away before their very eyes – but just a couple of years ago that did happen. And Scottish readers especially will doubtless have memories of snow-related issues bringing travel to a halt.
Whenever extreme weather affects train services, questions are asked about whether Britain’s railways are robust enough to cope with what Mother Nature can throw at us. While the really extreme events are still rare, it is right that we challenge the industry to prove it is able to cope.
Most people will appreciate that there is a balance to be struck between being prepared, and “gold plating” infrastructure by spending money on equipment to deal with the rarer and more extreme consequences of ‘weather events’. However, as with all decisions that ultimately affect passengers, our message is clear: be open about the decisions that have to be made and the contingencies that are planned for. Even just knowing that emergency plans are available to the public would be a welcome step towards the transparency passengers expect.
We asked passengers for their views and expectations of the railway during weather-related disruption. Our report Reacting to extreme weather on the railways revealed that far from expecting a reduction in service due to bad weather, passengers expect the railway to provide a better service than usual to deal with an influx of fellow travellers who can’t use other modes.
As part of this work, in conjunction with the industry’s National Task Force, we also looked at what passengers want the industry to do better when things have gone wrong. Understandably, their first priority is to receive timely, accurate information so they can make informed decisions about their journeys.
Train companies’ efforts to let passengers know about the timetable they will run when dreadful weather is forecast or has affected services can be variable. When the sea wall at Dawlish was destroyed, up to six days later we found some journey planners saying that services were still running.
We are always pleased to see train companies accepting each other’s tickets and lifting time restrictions on tickets when there is major disruption. A joined-up railway at times of major disruption really helps passengers. But it is critical that passengers are made aware of these measures, to avoid confusion. Equally, if it is possible to patch up the service with buses and extra long-distance coaches, then let passengers know about the alternatives as soon as possible.
Next, passengers need industry to be transparent - to help passengers understand why timetable changes and service suspensions have been made. Often bad weather will lead to services starting later in the day than normal, effectively ruling out commuters getting to work by train. Does the rail industry need to better understand what passengers want in these situations, from precautionary timetable reductions through to more drastic service changes?
Lastly, it is a question of trust. Train companies and Network Rail need to demonstrate that they are doing their best on behalf of passengers, despite the weather. Passengers need to be able to trust their train company and believe that it is on their side. From information through to fares, how can we keep people moving in a safe, timely and joined-up way during major disruption, to show what we can be done and hopefully build loyalty and trust among passengers?
It is right that the immediate focus is on restoring services as quickly as is safe to do so, but the impact on passengers must be a key consideration.
