Commuters want trains to run on time

[Mojo]

From Telegraph.co.uk: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ort-commuters-want-trains-to-run-on-time.html

The biggest-ever study of overcrowding and the punctuality of trains, commissioned by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), has been condemned as "an astonishing exercise in rehashing the blindingly obvious".

The report for the RSSB, which is funded by the Department for Transport to the tune of £12million every year, discovered that passengers are likely to be in a "positive emotional state" if their train is punctual and announcements are audible and comprehensible, and in a "negative" frame of mind if the service is late and no one tells them why.

Commuters are "chilled out and happy" if they get a seat on a train, but their mood turns to "panic" if the train is late and there is no seat, the research found.

The study, undertaken by a team of external consultants and psychologists, analysed travellers all over Britain and used an "undercover passenger" carrying a miniature video camera concealed in a gift-wrapped cardboard tube inside a carrier bag to record travellers' behaviour.

The report – illustrated with 'sad' and 'happy' faces – said: "Passengers' comfort and positioning are affected by fellow passengers' appearance, size and smell."

Rail users were lumped into bizarre categories in the document. "Snipers" hover next to an occupied seat, ready to take it when it becomes vacant, while "Sentinels" lean against a partition, thought to be the most tolerable standing spot.

"Blockers" hold the grab rail, making it impossible for others to pass. "Heroes" fight through the crowd in search of an aisle space or seat.

The RSSB is the industry's safety watchdog and on its website it proclaims that it "builds industry-wide consensus and facilitates the resolution of difficult cross-industry issues".

Tony Ambrose, of the passenger campaign group More Train Less Strain, said: "It beggars belief. It's bad enough having the highest fares and worst overcrowding in Europe without the added unpleasantness of finding out you have been filmed without your permission.

"The report is astonishing. It's a rehash, in consultant-speak, of what is blindingly obvious to every traveller."

The RSSB defended its study, however, insisting it was a "practical appraisal of real-life situations".

A spokesman added: "In total, about one hour of filming was undertaken, based on one person travelling for four to five days."

The report comes just a week after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was attacked for spending £300,000 on a three-year study that proved ducks liked rainy weather.

Money well spent!

 

[gordonthemoron]

In other news:

Pope revealed to be Catholic

 

[90019]

We've got quite some masters of the obvious here!

 

[Aictos]

£12 million every year spent on the bleeding obvious! Money that should be going into improving the railways not on unneeded surveys.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Survey reveals that rail passengers would rather tax money was spent on improving services than meaningless surveys shock

 

[tbtc]

That's really poor journalism.

First of all, there's the £12 million figure, which is nothing to do with the cost of the survey - it could have cost £12 to ask a handful of questions

Secondly - there's nothing wrong with asking people their priorities. We all want a seat on a fast cheap reliable train, but it makes good sense to ask which of these attributes people value most, and which need more/ most improvement. As a (relatively) able bodied person in my 30s I'd value a cheap ticket over a seat (for journeys under say 90 minutes). Commuters *need* to get to work on time so may value reliability over speed.

Okay, we'd all like improvements in *all* areas, but it's reasonable to find out which are the most important.

Surely (if research can be carried out cheaply) it's a good thing that the railways are trying to listen to passenger demands?

Sadly, this dumbed down journalism is indicative of the treatment of the railways in the press.

 

[gordonthemoron]

the railways are trying to listen to passenger demands

nope, not noticed any evidence of that

 

[tbtc]

the railways are trying to listen to passenger demands

nope, not noticed any evidence of that

Maybe not - I've not been questioned either, but at least this shows that they are trying to listen.

Obviously everyone wants cheaper/ faster/ more reliable carbon neutral trains with more seats, wi-fi, a good range of food on board and comfortable seats, but doing research like this seems a reasonable way to find out priorities.

Shame that a supposedly intellegent newspaper chooses to write about it so patronisingly though

 

[gordonthemoron]

Shame that a supposedly intellegent newspaper chooses to write about it so patronisingly though

It's been a bit dodgy since the Barclays twins bought it

 

[richa2002]

I suspect few give a damn whether their train is carbon neutral!

 

[Bittern]

That's really poor journalism.

You want poor journalism? Look at the strange news section of Sky News' site. They are reporting stuff such as models tripping on Catwalks, Cats chasing after lights etc.

 

[Mystic Force]

As to filming people enthusiast do that as part of their hobby and complain when people try to stop them.

 

[jon0844]

Can someone pay me a large sum of money to research whether doing this sort of research is a waste of money?

 

[Metroland]

'Tony Ambrose, of the passenger campaign group More Train Less Strain, said: .....the added unpleasantness of finding out you have been filmed without your permission.'

That's a laugh, he should see this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ktdzj/Whos_Watching_You_Episode_1/

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Well if you want a laugh, the Victorian Government in Melbourne recently said that overcrowding was now at level that it should be considered as a way of life and pointed out that it was in places like London, New York and Tokyo!

Only because trains here are now so overcrowded it sucks, and the Government do very little to fix it and they thought by saying that they would be able to brush their hands of the issue.

So is overcrowding on trains a way of life for yas?


AR

 

[NickM]

Again, as for filming most of our trains are now fitted with CCTV. Same thing surely?

 

[HSTfan!!!]

thing is, it's all well and good saying yep we want trains to run on time, but it's generally the public that delay their own trains... I'm not saying TOC's don't have there own problems, but most of the delays I encounter as platform staff are the public joining trains slowly, late or using the same one door on a HST for pitys sake... and then when they miss a connection for whatever reason... why couldn't you hold it? Because it had to run to time...