Unstaffed Stations - potential customers looking for information

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Background I dropped off some folks at our local (unmanned) station at about 9 O'Clock this morning.  I stopped around with them for about 10 minutes until the train arrived, to check with the conductor that they did not need to change for Gloucester - they had been advised "change Swindon" but I was pretty sure it went through, and they were new users of the service with heavy luggage who really didn't want to get off, walk around Swindon station and find they had to get back onto exactly the same service!

In just 10 minutes at the station, no fewer than three other people came along independently looking for information about trains.   One gentleman was wanting to find out about trains to Bath.   A lady was looking for information about Sunday trains.  And another man (and his dog) were looking for more general train information. 

Thinking back, it's pretty common at this station to have people come by looking for information - not coming to the station to catch a train, but rather to find out for other potential use. And I've noticed that people have quite some difficulty in finding out what they need from the notices on display, and rarely use the button on the information point which is ideally situated.

Question for others who drop off / pick up people at unmanned stations:   Is this level of potential customers looking for information common at other unstaffed stations?   And are people who come along looking for information able to find what they want, or do you end up helping them, or do they leave frustrated?

[Super Guard]

Graham, should the "Help Point" have been sufficient to answer these queries you encountered, if they had pressed the button?

Not exactly answering your question, but I can stand on the platform at Barnstaple or Exmouth and be asked the same question over and over again ("Is this going to Exeter?")... Whereas another time if i'm doing tickets by the door and therefore not on the platform, people manage to use the screens/common sense to get on the train without asking anyone.

Obviously it's a reassurance thing, so in the case of somewhere like Melksham, do signs need to be clearer as to what the help point does?  Afterall, I didn't realise it connected to a "human" until someone thought it was amusing to press the button, run off and I could hear a "hello hello?" coming out of the speaker.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Over the last 40 years more and more people have had home access to a telephone. Over the last 10 years more and more people have had access to the internet. As a result this is now how many more people get the information they need and fewer people than in the past even attempt to go to the rail station for information. This makes the case for spending valuable cash much less important when it could be used to pay higher dividends to shareholders. Of course there could be the alternative view that by saving such costs, rail fares need not rise as much but in today's commercial railway can you ever imagine that happening? And of course if you were Bg Bob, you would argue that such savings should be used to lower your members' retirement age, increase holidays etc just when every one is facing the opposite. Please do excuse me for being such a cynic.

[grahame]

Graham, should the "Help Point" have been sufficient to answer these queries you encountered, if they had pressed the button?

In one case "yes", in one case I doubt it, and in the third place the potential customer was looking for a timetable of trains to Bath and I think it would have been impractical for the person to have given him the details he wanted - a diagram / chart was really needed and I don't think the call centre staff can send an image to the screen can they? 

Obviously it's a reassurance thing, so in the case of somewhere like Melksham, do signs need to be clearer as to what the help point does?  Afterall, I didn't realise it connected to a "human" until someone thought it was amusing to press the button, run off and I could hear a "hello hello?" coming out of the speaker.

Possibly ... the help point is excellently situated for people waiting on the platform ... we could really do with one of the boards off the platform telling people that (a) the help point is there, and for general enquiries as well as for specific of current journeys and (b) it's all right to get on the train without a ticket and buy from the conductor.

My particular interest in this question was not about people coming to the station for a service that happens to be due at that time, but rather people coming to a station when no train's due looking for general information, or when a train (happens to be) due, but seeking information for future use.

... and fewer people than in the past even attempt to go to the rail station for information ...

I was very surprised at how many there were in a short period today at a pretty sparsely served station, and thinking about it I often run into extra people who just happen to be passing by .... except they're NOT passing by as it's at the end of a cul-de-sac.  Wondered if there were any figures / stats.

[Rhydgaled]

When I was at Narberth to video an IC125 somebody turned up asking when the next train was. I showed him the timetable board, but ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)))'s platform timetables are a right pain to read. The font needs to be bigger, so it is more easily read through the normally grimy plastic and the highlighting of the station you are at on the times (and which table corosponds to which direction and which day of the week) needs to be much clearer and used at every station.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.

In the course of my work with the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, I've often been approached by members of the public (passengers / wannabe passengers / meeters and greeters) with requests for help.

Simply because I'm wearing a Hi-Viz vest, they assume (or, to be fair, they do sometimes ask whether) I "work for the railway company". 

While explaining that I don't, I nevertheless offer whatever help I can - even if that consists merely of directing them to the 'Information Point' and even pressing the 'Next train' button for them.

Chris. 

[matt473]

My local station is South Wales quite often has people passing it asking if trains even sill run on the line. The information is totally inadequate with a timetable that quite often is unreadable due to condensation in the display. Ideally a new electronic display is needed to show times of services, especially with the infrequent nature of the Heart of Wales line. This lack of information though leads potential passangers not bother with using the train opting to catch the bus from the town centre instead to Swansea, Llanelli etc. despite it being more expensive and longer in time. CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) would be a good idea to try and discourage youths that use the station as hang out who in some instances intimidate passangers further discouraging use of the railway.

(For those interested the station is Ammanford and the main rival bus service runs at half hourly intervals to Swansea showing clear demand for travel between the two)

[eightf48544]

We looked into this at Taplow where we get quite a large number of people turning up at the station especialy when unmanned, and paricularly on Sundays when we have no trains. CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) just says welcome to Taplow on Sundays we think it should say "No Trains Sunday".

Also because most people enter at the foot of the stairs and join platform 4 it is not obvious  whether the station is manned until you try the booking office door. Why can't CIS say ticket office open or get ticket from machine?

The times are displayed on the outside door which few use.

We did a survey of all the posters on the station and there is no single poster  which says what the train service is how to get a ticket, when ticket office open, machine doesn't take cash, use of penalty fare machine,  car parkrough pattern of service pointing to full timetables and help point, etc. ( In fact the basics oof getting a train) This info is mostly there except the no cash and penalty fare machine but scattered over several sites on different platforms.

There is a map of all FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stations with no clue as to where Taplow might be on the systems and as it's very small it's difficult to find.

Timetables are split over paltform 4 UP 3 Down thus you have to go over the bridge to look up your return train.

We suggested that all stations ought to have one poster giving all those details and pointing to more detailed info elsewhere. It must  be in a prominent place by the entrance to the station.

In addition there should be a similar poster at the exit detailng a local map, buses taxis, prominent local attracations etc. There is one at Taplow but it's on the footbridge of Platform 3 which few passengers pass

Maybe we could agree on Coffee Shop the minimum information such psoters should contain and put ti to FGW you might have more success than we did at taplow.

What this proves is people like the personal touch when asking about trains not a phone call to Mumbi and if they see a station why not ask there? 

[Phil]

Is it worth asking the "Big Issue" distributors if they know anyone with time on their hands and an interest in trains who might actually genuinely appreciate the opportunity of standing around at stations like Melksham - and Ammanford - during peak travel times giving [potential] customers the information they need in exchange for a voluntary donation of a couple of quid? It wouldn't cost a great deal to issue them with hi-viz vests and a bundle of timetables and to my admittedly simple way of thinking, everybody wins.

[Rhydgaled]

Is it worth asking the "Big Issue" distributors if they know anyone with time on their hands and an interest in trains who might actually genuinely appreciate the opportunity of standing around at stations like Melksham - and Ammanford - during peak travel times giving [potential] customers the information they need in exchange for a voluntary donation of a couple of quid? It wouldn't cost a great deal to issue them with hi-viz vests and a bundle of timetables and to my admittedly simple way of thinking, everybody wins.

That sounds like a good idea. Big trouble is unstaffed stations don't often have waiting rooms. If they did I might possibly be willing to volunteer for something like that (standing around in the wind and rain to explain about trains = not much fun, but explaining about trains with somewhere warm and dry to sit might be nice).

I think a waiting room and public toilets, managed by the council like public toilets, could perhaps be provided at some unstaffed stations (primarily I'm thinking of the threatened Fishguard & Goodwick station building). However, some say this could have problems with vadalisam, could you get away with this idea in a relativly small town or would the vandals blow the whole idea?

[eightf48544]

In reply to your question about vandalism in a small town like Fishguard and Goodwick there must be a relatively small number of potential vandles, why not make them respoonsible for the station they could be paid if they were unemployed as part of their benefits. Or may be even reward them with aFirst Class return to Cardiff for a day.

Trouble is it makes me sound too like Boris.

[Rhydgaled]

There are no first class seats on any trains west of Carmarthen except the Summer Saturday Pembroke Dock runs. Nice idea otherwise though, it'd just have to be standard class anytime returns instead of 1st class tickets.