How critical is the return of passengers and busy trains for railway jobs?

[yorksrob]

Bus stations do tend to be the equivalent of more important railway hubs. You won't find many bus stops with heated waiting rooms either.

 

[Starmill]

Crikey, I lost the will to live through some of that. Maybe people expect far to much.

What makes you say that? People who aren't railway enthusiasts or staff almost all seem perfectly happy to drive around in their cars for their transport needs, using the railway only occasionally or never at all. Doesn't sound like they're expecting much to me.

 

[ComUtoR]

You are obviously in the minority. There are some 35 million cars licenced for use on the roads. There are some 50 million people in the UK aged 18 or over and of these some 40 million hold driving licences.

So quite a large percentage of the population seem to be quite happy to use cars

Your missing out on a very important point. "Enjoyment'

Just because a large percentage of the population own a car, it doesn't mean they enjoy driving.

My every day use of the car is pretty much for practical purposes only. The morning commute is hell. School runs are a nightmare. Parking is expensive and an absolute drama lama. I truly do not 'enjoy' driving my car. I do it because I have little to no choice.

I feel the same way about the train. I use it purely because I have to or because it's the most convenient. I get no pleasure from taking the train.

Choice of transport rarely comes down to the sheer pleasure of the experience.

 

[Starmill]

My every day use of the car is pretty much for practical purposes only.

Indeed! And yet you're still doing it! Doesn't that rather suggest that there's a real reason why you're not using a train for those trips? Same for lots of people.

 

[dk1]

What makes you say that? People who aren't railway enthusiasts or staff almost all seem perfectly happy to drive around in their cars for their transport needs, using the railway only occasionally or never at all. Doesn't sound like they're expecting much to me.

No idea. What you are saying means nothing to me & hasn’t done since 1984. Driving as I said loses me totally & that’s that. Can’t help you out any more I’m afraid.

 

[ComUtoR]

Indeed! And yet you're still doing it! Doesn't that rather suggest that there's a real reason why you're not using a train for those trips? Same for lots of people.

Absolutly.

One of the reasons why I need to use my car for the morning commute is that...... Someone has to get to work before the first train because, well, they might be driving it !

Another reason is that commute isnt viable by train. There is no direct route so I would need to go into London and back out. It's over an hour. However I can do home to work (on a good day) in half hour and it's door to door.

My leisure travel is typically a mix. Into London is always a train. Sod taking a car into town. But most of my other leisure travel is by car. Not only is it cheaper but the convenience a car can provide far outweighs use of the train. But taking the car is always some.kind of hell. I live in one of the worst traffic blackspots and my friends live in similar traffic hell holes. The car journey is always a nightmare. But the train would be infinitely worse.

For my attitudes to travel to change. It would require a dramatic shift in the entire culture of how the railway works and operates and a huge shift away from a car being the most convenient option.

 

[Starmill]

For my attitudes to travel to change. It would require a dramatic shift in the entire culture of how the railway works and operates and a huge shift away from a car being the most convenient option.

Indeed. Changing basically everything about how we travel is the minimum requirement at this point for the industry to have a sustainable future.

 

[dctraindriver]

I love driving my car, always have always will and I’d rather drive than train it so fully understand why people saying car takes precedence.

I like a train journey too, partly I guess because it’s free.

How they make things better for passengers and incentivise them quickly back I have no idea; though I’ve noticed it’s significantly more busier this past week.

I just hope The industry bounces back as I want to continue for quite some time doing the job I really enjoy.

 

[MissPWay]

Indeed. Changing basically everything about how we travel is the minimum requirement at this point for the industry to have a sustainable future.

Let’s have a week of stuff being open before we pave over the 4foot shall we?

Much as you’re salivating over the thought.

 

[LowLevel]

Let’s have a week of stuff being open before we pave over the 4foot shall we?

Much as you’re salivating over the thought.

I doubt they're salivating over any such thing - I know the person in question is as fond of the railway as any of us. However passing up the current opportunity to question how we do pretty much everything and conduct ourselves would be silly. If we don't see it as an opportunity to do just that we risk it being the opposite - an opportunity to slay some sacred cows.

I love the railway but there are some big issues within it that need sorting out. I say that as a front line railwayman.

 

[MissPWay]

I doubt they're salivating over any such thing - I know the person in question is as fond of the railway as any of us. However passing up the current opportunity to question how we do pretty much everything and conduct ourselves would be silly. If we don't see it as an opportunity to do just that we risk it being the opposite - an opportunity to slay some sacred cows.

I love the railway but there are some big issues within it that need sorting out. I say that as a front line railwayman.

Ok, well I’m a frontline railwaywoman so is that top trumps? I know there’s issues that need sorting. God knows there are.

And as for that poster, well, I’ve read their contributions. ....

 

[LowLevel]

Ok, well I’m a frontline railwaywoman so is that top trumps? I know there’s issues that need sorting. God knows there are.

And as for that poster, well, I’ve read their contributions. ....

I don't do top trumps - we are all in it together at the minute especially with all that is going on and you probably see me out and about fairly regularly - I always say hello even to people from shiny fast trains albeit from your postings you reside at the front of the train and I at the back - just that people don't always necessarily agree on the way forward.

My point I was making was that I've known the guy in question for years and he has railways written through him though we have butted heads on various occasions with differing opinions - he just has different views to an employee on how you might go about things and what might be needed to improve things which is probably to be expected.

I suppose the next few months will see who is right, personally I am far from looking forward to the aftermath though I am looking forward to hopefully having my passengers back.

 

[yorksrob]

I think the key issue for the railway to tackle is how it provides value for money for potential passengers. This seems to be a key barrier to people actually catching the train for discretionary purposes.

In a way I'm a captive audience as I don't drive and am well disposed towards using the train. However there are barriers that put even me off. The key one is cost. I'm aware that I can potentially catch a train to the south coast and that it can be a reasonable price for example, but the rigmorole of having to book separate legs and travel at specific times tends to put me off.

Between lockdowns I was looking to visit a family member in London, but there didn't seem to be any decently priced options on that weekend (even trying to book a few weeks in advance) so I gave up. I very much doubt the trains that I would have caught would have been "ram-packed" at the time, but that's revenue lost.

I enjoy going to the coast, however a day trip to places such as Whitby and Scarborough which are on the other side of Yorkshire, tends to be £30+, even with split ticketing. At the moment I have a bit more leeway to pay those prices as I have more money due to everything else being shut, but will this be the case when there are other options competing for my wallet.

By contrast, the things that attract me to rail travel are good value and convenience. Examples of this are:

• The Dales Railcard means that I can travel on those routes on a whim, and often do (when the timetable is operating).
• The network card also encouraged me to travel out and about in the South East when I could justify owning one.
• The groupsave offers on South Eastern, Southern and Great Western encouraged myself and the family to get out and about.
• London North Western (whatever it's called) allowed me to rock up and buy an open return to London for a reasonable price. OK, i had to get to Crewe to take advantage, which was a rigmorole, but if there were such an option from somewhere near here I would be all over it. I think it would be worth having this sort of budget option for longer distance travel available more widely on the network.

The way I look at it is if some of these issues are barriers for me, than they will be even bigger barriers for people with more options such as motorists. That's not to say that motorists are a lost cause. My dad used to love driving his car - it was a leisure activity in itself for him. Yet he's also always enjoyed being able to have a snooze on the train at times.