Wrong kind of excuses: Why we don’t trust what the rail firms tell us

There was “an undercurrent of distrust among passengers when it comes to information”, said the report from Passenger Focus.

Rail travellers want “more honesty and fewer excuses” and appear to trust radio and TV information more than “real time” information such as that posted on train company websites.

The report said passengers felt the rail industry was not routinely delivering what was the accepted good practice of confirming a delay within two minutes of an unscheduled stop.

Passengers said they wanted the tone of announcements for disruption to be “genuine”, “engaged”, “alive” and “caring”.

But some travellers wanted announcements to be “neutral” and “factual” and did not want what they perceived to be “over-the-top empathy”, the report said.

Use of humour attracted mixed views but was seen as lightening the mood for, say, passengers stuck on a stranded train.

Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: “Passengers understand that sometimes things do go wrong. This research confirms that accurate and timely information is crucial throughout the journey and that a good attitude from railway staff is vital.

“There are two other clear messages here: the railway needs to explain the causes of delay in language people trust, and more needs to be done to warn people of problems, so they have a chance to change their plans and avoid them.”

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT union, said: “Everyone knows that the websites of Transport for London and the train operators are a minefield of misinformation as those at the top try to blag their way out of taking responsibility for failing infrastructure and their own corner-cutting.

“With breakdowns and delays now a daily fact of life, as cuts to maintenance and rampant profiteering by the rail operators overshadow the principle of public service, it is no wonder the travelling public are getting increasingly hacked off.”

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: “We understand passengers’ frustration where there is disruption and appreciate that they want concise, relevant and up-to-date information about what has gone wrong and how long it will take to fix the problem.

“Improving information during disruption is now one of the railways’ priorities and we recognise that the industry needs to get consistently better at it.

“Operators, together with Network Rail, have been and will continue to invest in improving the information provided to passengers when things do go wrong.”

Rail minister Norman Baker said: “When rail services are disrupted it is vital passengers are kept fully informed of what is happening. There can be nothing worse than being stuck on a delayed train or a station platform and not knowing what is causing the delay or how long it is likely to last.

“That is why we welcome the key findings of this report by Passenger Focus and why we are supporting work by the Office of Rail Regulation to amend train operators’ licences to ensure passengers are given the information they need when delays occur.”