While navigating the railway not without its challenges, for the majority of regular passengers navigating the railway is relatively easy. Most commuters are familiar with their journey from the point of ticket purchase, to the platform they need to wait on, and they know where to stand on the platform to maximise their chances of finding a seat. By contrast, occasional rail users who lack experience, may not feel confident travelling by rail.

Getting in a car and travelling directly to their destination is the preferred option for many. It involves less planning, is perceived to be cheaper and more reliable than rail, and it guarantees a seat in an enclosed environment, with a secure place to store luggage. At present, due to the coronavirus pandemic many people are avoiding crowded places and opting for alternative modes of travel to public transport. Transport Focus research into future travel plans shows that while the use of public transport has increased since the start of the pandemic, almost half of respondents say they intend to drive more, where they would have previously used public transport. In addition, half of those who had not made a train journey in the previous seven days, stated they would not feel safe doing so.

The number of people commuting or making long-distance business trips is widely predicted to decline in the longer term. The recent practice of working from home and holding virtual meetings has led many commuter and business travellers to question whether they will need to travel to the same extent in the future. Now, more than ever, the railway needs to prioritise making itself easy to use. It needs to appeal to passengers.

I am pleased to see that the new Rail Technical Strategy puts passengers at its core, an encouraging departure from previous editions that brings a fresh perspective and focus to the strategy. New knowledge and technical solutions have a key role to play in making the railway passenger centric and easy to use. It is crucial that the rail industry puts passengers’ needs and expectations at its heart.

Existing solutions must be harnessed to provide seamless end-to-end journeys. From accelerating the adoption of step-free inclusive design, to the ‘Internet of Trains’ and Big Data to improve punctuality. Reliability and accuracy of information is essential.

This must go together with the rapid roll-out of innovations already under development, such as the Digital Fares and Ticketing Platform, to improve the service offered to passengers. This includes multi-modal ticketing, new solutions to remove hazards and barriers for disabled passengers and infection prevention and control measures.  Minimising the spread of infection has an important role to play in public transport and even more so as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. A greater understanding of virus management can both reassure passengers and inform industry strategy.

Longer term opportunities and solutions must not be forgotten. Data-driven tools to understand and improve passenger flow within and across modes, and innovative designs to improve the onboard experience have the potential to deliver important benefits at limited cost.

This all needs to be underpinned with passenger centric measures of the railway’s overall performance. New measures are needed to incentivise rapid, incremental improvements and drive longer-term changes in mobility. Measures to move the industry towards its key priority of providing passengers with timely, easy to use and reliable door-to-door mobility services.