“Will there be any consultation with passenger representatives on revised service patterns? If so, when?”

Roger Johnson, Vice-Chairman of the Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association, has sent a list of detailed questions to Network Rail about the London Bridge Rebuilding.

1. Will there be any consultation with passenger representatives on revised service patterns? If so, when?
2. What changes in travel patterns does the passenger modelling software predict as rebuilding progresses? Can it be used to model periods of disruption and what assumptions are made about passenger behaviour at those times?
3. At the last Kent rail Summit SER said that they will give priority to maintaining capacity through the reduced lines over flexibility. This has implications for how passengers are informed and managed when services are disrupted. Is this strategy shared by all the parties, and what changes will be made to information systems to ensure passengers can use the services to best effect?  Maximum capacity should mean usable capacity, not just seats, and information is essential to enable passengers to get to destinations with minimum delay when things go wrong.
4. What plans exist to upgrade current poor passenger information services? Passenger management comprises two parts – information about he service failure and suggested alternatives. Currently SRTA’s experience is that the first is poor and the second negligible (or obvious, eg “Wait for next train”). When trains are already “full and standing” something better should be provided. (This could well be acute at LB since in extremis evening commuters already join their services inbound in order to be sure of being onboard for the down service).
   1. Before leaving home/office
      1.       NRE site becomes inaccurate under pressure, is it being upgraded?
      2.       Can the use of local radio be improved?  During snow Radio Kent reads long lists of minor road closures but give only very general rail information.
      3.       how will alerts be disseminated for major evening disruptions when customers are at work
   2. At the station – SER admit to numerous issues today including
      1.       Outmoded and inflexible equipment,
      2.       over reliance on automated information systems
      3.       Noise Abatement Orders
      4.       lack of information sites on platforms leading to congestion
      5.       lack of clear information at LB during rebuilding
      6.       LB information has poor record during disruption today
      7.       resource constraints on passenger management especially at LB in periods of disruption
   3. On train information
      1. driver only operation leads to absence of good quality information for passengers
      2.     inadequate communication with train crew
      3.       inflexible on train displays
      4.       At present SER staff provide no information about service issues on LUL despite LUL informing them, is this being addressed?
5. Would LB project publish a consultative “green paper” on passenger management during the LB rebuilding for discussion with stakeholders?
6. Did the project board agree to a member of Passenger Focus joining to provide customer input?
7. Will there be a single point of contact for groups such as ours to make contact with the LB Rebuilding Project Board? Is that contact in place today?

We await their answers!