Get more business on the train

Passenger Focusís latest research has revealed there is potential for the industry to attract greater numbers of business travellers onto the train and improve use of off-peak services.

Record numbers (84%) of business passengers say they are satisfied in the National Passenger Survey with their rail journey. The national rail watchdog has also found 83% of business passengers are happy with their trainís punctuality and reliability.

Because the Department for Transportís (DfT) own research shows business travel often takes place at off peak times, Passenger Focus believes there is opportunity for the industry to encourage greater use of the network among the business community. Passenger Focusís research shows two thirds (64%) of businesses say they use the train.
In the study of employersí travel needs, business passengers identified benefits of travelling by rail included having the ability to work on the train (37%), that it offers a less stressful form of transport (33%), speed of the journey (28%) and the elimination of parking problems (21%).

However, this particular research revealed employers perceive the railway as being too expensive, unreliable and inconvenient to make it the obvious choice for business travel. Business passengers will avoid catching the train if they need to carry goods/samples (23%), the station is too far away (23%), have their cars available (22%), and their destination is not on the rail network (21%).

A third of employers said they are not happy with the price of the train ticket – 35% said it was too expensive. A quarter of businesses would like to see fares reduced between 31 and 50%, although of those who said they could guess their fare, over half over estimated the price of their ticket by more than 15%.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chairman said: ìPassengers increasingly tell us theyíre more satisfied with their train journey. This report shows there is plenty of opportunity to get more business on the trains. If employees can work on the train and buy an affordable, flexible ticket, they are more likely to travel by rail. However, the study shows that the rail industry must keep up its focus on performance and look at value for money and ticketing issues to ensure that the train can be a viable choice for more employers.î