It would be nice to be able to shunt discussion of the UK's railway system into the sidings for a while, but they do keep coming up with electrifying developments that demand a response. Take last week's news that Network Rail plans to spend £3.25 billion over the next five years "to improve thousands of stations across the country".
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6063.aspx
No one who uses the 2000 stations due for attention will object to the promise of new passenger information systems and improvements to lifts and stairways, toilets, waiting rooms and shelters, not to mention "longer or resurfaced platforms" and bigger or refurbished ticket offices and ticket halls along with better lighting and CCTV.
Train users might not be so keen on everything in final item which promises not just smarter stations, redecoration and more seating but also drags in the notion of "retail opportunities". Shopping is now such an intimate part of most railway stations that it would not be worth mentioning, were it not for the real surprise in this announcement.
Immediately after the numbers, the press release tells us that Network Rail has also launched "the first ever piece of passenger research targeting stations". After nearly two centuries of rail travel, the people who run the trains are finally asking us what we think about railway stations.
There is, in the obligatory quote that goes with the announcement, a tacit admission that this move is long overdue. "Stations are the railways' shop-front and they have been ignored for too long," says Robin Gisby, the company’s operations and customer service director, Network Rail.
You don't have to wait for someone to ask you for your views: you can complete the survey on line.
http://www.action-stations.co.uk/
Network Rail is asking rail users "what is important to them at their local station, where they would like to see investment and what are their priorities". The survey also asks questions that give passengers who are so inclined an opportunity to tell Network Rail where to put its retail opportunities.
There are exceptions, of course. It is nice to be able to buy a cup of coffee that tastes of something while waiting for a train. Even a sustaining sandwich is welcome if you are about to embark on a journey that lacks "on-board eating opportunities," although not when everyone in the carriage has to share the smell.
Reading matter has also long been a staple offering on stations. But jewellery, electrical goods, mobile telephones, underwear and DVDs – some of the things that assault anyone travelling through London's Victoria station, for example – make frustrated travellers wonder about the priorities of the people who run the stations.
Let’s hope that Mr Gisby means it when he says "We need to listen to passengers and use their views on stations to guide our decisions". You have to wonder though whether the company really would kick out the moneylenders and their ilk if rail travellers give shops a thumbs down.
Related news story:
Cash for worst train stations
http://kn.theiet.org/news/nov09/worst-stations.cfm
Categories: Commentary ,
Comments
All comments
You need to be registered with the IET to leave a comment. Please log in or register as a new user.