This webinar was the follow-up to Railfuture's "Attracting passengers back to rail" webinar in October 2020.
Rail is the safest and most sustainable form of powered transport, and should be quick, comfortable, cost effective and reliable, but is currently operating below capacity and failing to meet customer expectations. Recovery of the rail industry is critical to sustainable growth of the UK economy, but what is needed to make rail recovery happen? This webinar will explore what product offering will attract people back to rail travel, close the credibility gap between the rhetoric and the customer experience, and turn good intentions into reality.
The core of the webinar will be a Q&A with the opportunity for attendee input. Topics include closing the credibility gap between the rhetoric and the customer experience and turn good intentions into reality. Chaired by our President, Christian Wolmar, there are four panellists, one from the Great British Railway's (GBR) Transition Team, a current Managing Director of a Train Operating Company (TOC) and two directors of Railfuture, both of whom were directors of train companies in the British Rail and private sector eras.
The way that the government and rail industry act after COVID-19 will define our railway for a generation.
Britain's railway had enjoyed 25 years of continual growth since the mid-1990s. Even during the financial crisis rail patronage was barely affected, unlike previous recessions.
The future of the railway depends upon attracting a sufficient number of passengers to pay fares that cover a significant proportion of the costs of running the railway, and to justify the public subsidy for the remainder. The railway offers numerous benefits to the country, including economic and environmental, but the value of these depends on passenger numbers.
Before the pandemic much of the railway's revenue was from passengers making a 'distress purchase' i.e. commuters and business travellers who had little choice but to go by rail. In the future a far greater proportion of rail users will be making leisure journeys, but much of this will be 'discretionary' travel. If the fares are too high and the service quality too low then the railway will not attract or keep the passengers it so desperately needs. A culture change to focus on customers rather than operational convenience is needed throughout the industry.
Please register to join this Webinar.
Also see: [Speaker Biographies].
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