EDINBURGH, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - Britain's rail passenger watchdog Passenger Focus released a study Tuesday indicating that passengers were unsatisfied with how the rail industry handles cancellations and unexpected disruptions with only 17 percent of surveyed passengers" informed before arriving at the station.
"Only a minority of passengers were given a specific reason by the train company for their delay," the study entitled "Passenger information when trains are disrupted" states. "The majority of passengers were made aware of the disruption at the station, where announcements and displays are the main sources of information, with few speaking to station staff or using digital sources."
While only 17 percent were informed before arriving at the station, 67 percent were informed at the departure station and 40 percent were informed at the time of the disruption, such as unexpected stops, in the trains during their journey.
Staffs was found to lack up-to-the-minute information. The research showed that part of the 17 percent who had the information beforehand, received it using their smartphones on digital sources, mainly sites such as twitter and other smartphone applications.
The study, commissioned by The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), carried out its research by surveying 7,225 passengers online as well as an additional targeted 257 passengers who travelled on routes experiencing disruptions.
The disruptions left the passengers frustrated as many could not complete their journey, including daily commuters.
"They should try and give an estimate for how long the train is delayed so I could make plans for when I arrive at my destination," one passenger was quoted as saying in the study.
"The train is delayed so I don't know if I will meet my connection. It is the last train of the evening," said another passenger who added that he felt anxious and angry.
Passenger Focus outlined recommendations for the ORR to improve providing information on disruptions. The recommendations included checking that there was up-to-date information available online and that the information was accurate. Passenger Focus also suggested carrying out more research on customer satisfaction and developing an effective reporting mechanism.
Messages concerning disruptions should be direct and clear rather than euphemistic. Words such as "obstruction" left the passengers confused about what precisely had occurred, according to Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith in a statement on published on their website on Tuesday.
"For instance, a fallen tree across a railway is just that, not an "obstruction". Passengers told the full reasons for the delay are likely to be less frustrated than those who are not," Smith said.
The ORR, which welcomed the recommendation and said they will set up a new action plan by November.
"ORR will closely monitor the industry's progress and the pace of delivery against the action plan," ORR's press release read on Tuesday.
