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J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 1 3I S S U E 1 9 4 £ 3 . 9 5 THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR RAIL Back in the market but much more selective www.railpro.co.uk Editor’s note Terence Watson, Alstom’s UK Country President and Transport Managing Director UK & Ireland on bidding selectively, HS2, and what p<strong>as</strong>sengers really want from rolling stock PUBLISHER RAIL PROFESSIONAL LTD Hallmark House, Downham Road, Ramsden Heath, Essex CM11 1PU Tel : 02031 501 691 Editor LORNA SLADE editor@railpro.co.uk DISPLAY ADVERTISING christian wiles chris@railpro.co.uk dougl<strong>as</strong> lewis doug@railpro.co.uk DEAN SALISBURY dean@railpro.co.uk STEVE FRYER steve@railpro.co.uk RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING DEAN SALISBURY dean@railpro.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS M e e t i n g t h e n e e d s o f t h e d i g i t a l c o n s u m e r AMY HAMMOND subscriptions@railpro.co.uk ADMINISTRATION CHERIE NUGENT info@railpro.co.uk G e t t i n g t o k n o w y o u : f i v e t o p p a s s e n g e r ‘ w a n t s ’ DESIGN & PRODUCTION MILES JOHNSTONE production@railpro.co.uk Plus... Smarter ticketing - let’s get on with it! Combined air and rail tickets RSSB on sustainability <strong>Rail</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> welcomes contributions in the form of articles, photographs or letters, preferably by email. Original photographs may be submitted, but, while every care will be exercised, neither the editor nor the publisher take responsibility for loss of, or damage to, material sent. Submission of material to <strong>Rail</strong> <strong>Professional</strong> will be taken <strong>as</strong> permission for it to be published in the magazine. ISSN 1476-2196 © All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor does it accept liability for any printing errors or otherwise which may occur. P<strong>as</strong>senger Focus’s recent debate on boosting the p<strong>as</strong>senger voice within rail franchising, held to present the findings of its new research report, Giving p<strong>as</strong>sengers a voice in rail services, w<strong>as</strong> extremely interesting, and yet telling. Given that p<strong>as</strong>sengers are now the main overall funder of Britain’s railway, it’s in everyone’s interest to <strong>as</strong>certain and cater to their needs, but having had a bit of a whipping of late, the industry seems intent on compounding that by indulging in a ph<strong>as</strong>e of selfflagellation that’s hindering it from truly concentrating on how best to work with p<strong>as</strong>sengers and involve them in the franchising process. As Peter Wilkinson, the DfT’s franchising director and panellist said: ‘No other country engages customers in the design of rail services more than we do and this is reflected in a big improvement in p<strong>as</strong>senger satisfaction. In Denmark for example, it h<strong>as</strong>n’t even been thought of. The P<strong>as</strong>senger Focus report is f<strong>as</strong>cinating, there’s lots that isn’t right but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.’ PF’s chairman, Colin Foxall, opened the debate by ensuring the smile w<strong>as</strong> wiped off our faces. ‘Trust is an issue and we’re all to blame. The industry’s attitude to p<strong>as</strong>sengers is to blame.’ Anna Walker, chair of the Office of <strong>Rail</strong> Regulation, agreed there is a need for a greater voice for p<strong>as</strong>sengers, but pointed out there is less consumer involvement in rail than other industries because it’s complicated. ‘It’s a question of how customers’ views are handled,’ she said. ‘Toc’s need to really explain that they are valued. That’s what’s wrong. Will they treat them <strong>as</strong> customers or the enemy on the other side’ The talk w<strong>as</strong> of a ‘mechanism’ of a formal process of consultation, but nobody w<strong>as</strong> sure what that should consist of. Alex Hynes, MD of rail development at GoAhead agreed that ‘somebody h<strong>as</strong> to consult the p<strong>as</strong>senger on long franchise extensions, but who’s going to do that’ The possibility of having a duty to consult p<strong>as</strong>sengers w<strong>as</strong> discussed but P<strong>as</strong>senger Focus’s chief executive, Anthony Smith pointed out: ‘If we make it a duty, how do we get politicians to follow that’ Peter Wilkinson agreed the p<strong>as</strong>senger voice h<strong>as</strong> been ‘absolutely lost’ in recent years and admitted the industry h<strong>as</strong> been ‘too producer led’, but challenged the notion that there h<strong>as</strong> been no consultation. ‘The facts are we do have a duty to consult and we do. But decisions are not necessarily in customers’ interest - we make them on the b<strong>as</strong>is of what we think they want rather than elicit open questions. We need to chrystalise objectives p<strong>as</strong>sengers tell us they want and stick to them.’ Alex Hynes agreed that WCML knocked p<strong>as</strong>senger trust and commented that compared to other sectors, rail sits in the middle ground, but more towards the bankers than the NHS. ‘Why is it we deliver this great product but we’re not trusted’, he pleaded. Chris Perry, head of integrated services at Centro suggested there is a level of cynicism in surveys. ‘A blank sheet of paper works better but consultation is hard - people are very busy.’ Vernon Everitt, director of marketing and communications at Transport for London stated that trust is driven by knowing what’s promised in the first place. ‘And constant dialogue is necessary - don’t confuse surveys with what people really think,’ he warned. One of the key mechanisms for bringing about greater p<strong>as</strong>senger involvement - smart ticketing - w<strong>as</strong> mentioned by Alex Hynes. ‘It means we will actually know our customers. We should copy Tesco’s.’ Anthony Smith felt that social media is the best way to engage. ‘Talk to people and get out and about. They’ll only come to meetings if you’re doing something they hate.’ Anna Walker opined that finding out what customers think will inform behaviour, and that’s an obligation. But Peter Wilkinson cautioned, ‘Be careful what you wish for. There is a risk of making promises you can’t deliver,’ and he advised companies to use professional consultants when dealing with p<strong>as</strong>sengers. Back to the ‘mechanism’, Anna Walker reminded us that it’s complex but the principle is correct. ‘Transparency and the right sort of debate matters, so people understand the constraints. We need to tell them what is and isn’t possible.’ ‘Making it real in a complex environment is difficult’ agreed Anthony Smith. I think it’s going to be a while before the baby starts talking. www.p<strong>as</strong>sengerfocus.org.uk/research/publications/giving-p<strong>as</strong>sengers-a-voice-in-rail-services Speciality Gre<strong>as</strong>es- making a point of being on time. www.klueber.com tel: 01422 015515 sales@uk.klueber.com your global specialist July/August 2013 Page 3
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