Whilst the industry is moving forward with tech advancements, is it leaving its passengers behind?
In our weekly industry interviews we are always keen to find out how our experts believe rail is likely to change in the next ten years. But many areas of the industry are lagging behind the rest and have seen little improvement. Whilst SmartRail World are keen to promote the ground-breaking technologies happening in our industry it is just as important to provide solutions for the ones that still persist. The UK consumer survey Which? have discovered that train operators in the country handle customer complaints and delays almost as badly as they did a decade ago. An analysis of National Rail found that passengers’ satisfaction with how delays are handled stands at 35 percent which is compared with 32 percent ten years’ ago. As we delve a little closer into the technological advancement versus the passenger experience, we can analyse to what extent operators are prioritising their customers.
Punctuality satisfaction has fallen by percentage points over the same period to 72 percent – a ten year low. Alex Hayman, from Which? said: “Our analysis highlights that the rail industry has been failing its passengers, particularly in the way they handle delays and manage complaints.” This news comes in after the owners of Southern, Govia Thameslink Railway were fined £13.4 million for the amount of delays and strikes passengers had to endure.