Lessons from Europe: Why ambition and innovation still aren’t driving UK railways – what the UK’s railways can learn from its European counterparts from connectivity to customers.
As we look to a new era of Britain’s railways, the comparisons with our European counterparts aren’t always as favourable as they could be. Politics – big and small – seem to hamper UK railways really gaining the momentum they need. The endless stop and start to major projects like HS2, and the Department for Transport’s recent statement that rail passengers may lose access to Wi-Fi as a result of government cutbacks, do little to provide the strategic direction the industry needs or deliver the ambition the country needs.
This why we’ve taken a look at the five lessons we could, and should, learn before GBR settles in its new Derby HQ.
1. Medium and long term planning
Regardless of the political party of the day, we need not just an intent – but a plan. Europe has a plan for an integrated high-speed network, Italy has plans to invest 10 billion euros in new infrastructure over the next 10 years, France is rebooting its TGVs and there is a plan to double freight across Europe by 2030.
GBR is set to be the guiding mind of our railways. Yet the industry suppliers and operators need to know what the priorities are and when they are needed. It is the consistent and regular ask of all suppliers, big and small, so a GBR plan must be a priority. As does delivering those plans efficiently, cost effectively and on time. And let’s not forget it also need to be joined up with the regional plans, so the system works as whole… which takes us to lesson two.
2. Integrated transport
We often refer to enhanced transport links between neighbouring transport services, but rarely do we integrate our rail connections to other modes of transport. Our airports are well served by dedicated services in the south of England, but much less so at regional airports and we still don’t have the slick hubs you’d expect to see in Switzerland, or the forward-thinking integration of micro mobility as in Belgium. If we are to make rail attractive – integrating it with other modes and considering the first and last mile must be built into station redevelopment and design. An integrated transport system is core to ensuring lesson three.
3. Passenger & customers first
Imagine a world where you turn up at the station, your travel app not only tells you where you are in the station, but directs you to the right platform, you tap in, you board your on time train, get a seat and it’s comfortable, the carriage not overcrowded and when you complete your journey, you tap out, are directed to your onward journey via bus or connecting service and the app will at the end of the day calculate the cost for your journey. It doesn’t seem too much to ask does it? And for millions of passengers in Switzerland that is their reality. For too long UK passengers have got what they have been given – and tolerated far more than their European counterparts.
When service is consistently poor and unreliable, people turn to alternatives. What is clear is that railways need to work harder to get people to travel, must make space for freight services and genuinely put the customer first. This has been central to the GBR pitch for the last few years – whether its making fares transparent, making the journey easier or more pleasant, either by considering seat comfort, catering or connectivity. Turning the theory into a reality needs to happen sooner rather than later… which brings us to lesson four.
4. Connectivity
Connectivity is key. Demand for connectivity, wherever we are and almost whatever we are doing requires us to be online. Our lives are connected – whether for work or leisure – and one of the most obvious ways we can make rail more attractive is the opportunity for people to do more of what they need to. Finland leads the way in rail use with fanatical rail travellers live in Finland, where the number of boarding and disembarking passengers per 24 hours is equivalent to more than 13 percent of its population. Reflecting that data usage has increased sharply in recent years and digital services are used regardless of time and place and that the functionality of the train’s internal network is one of the most important elements influencing the customer experience, Finnish state-owned railway company VR announced last year they are investing of 4.5 million euros to improve the connectivity for passengers.
A connected railway offers not just a better customer experience but the opportunity to create more efficient processes and increase capacity in the case of digital signalling. Moreover, despite union fears that more digital technology will affect jobs adversely – the reverse is true. As rail systems become more digitalised and integrating systems, the opportunities for highly skilled, technical roles increase. It also can create the green roles for the future, which brings us to the final lesson.
5. Sustainability
The target for decarbonising rail is 2050 and sustainability should be at the core of every decision, yet our ambitions are already behind schedule. Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands are also among the continental frontrunners when it comes to electrification along with Bulgaria or Montenegro. Hydrogen fuelled trains already operate in several countries as pilot schemes.
Although embedding sustainability in every aspect of rail may not be straightforward, building sustainability into every contract, every purchase and challenging the sector to do more better is a great start. The ambitious, strategic intent and commitment to greener solutions – whether electrification or hydrogen – needs establishing now if we are to meet the decarbonisation targets and not be left behind the rest of Europe.
And that’s it – five lessons – all of which are, we know, challenging on their own. Yet if we are to deliver on the promised new era we have to create the well planned, integrated, customer focused railway that puts connectivity and sustainability at its core.