TRAINS are complex machines with many integrated systems which need to work reliably and safely. But what factors are influencing important decisions on how new trains look and feel for customers? How do we know we are offering the best outcome for passengers, that they feel comfortable and are happy and willing to use the train again and again?
What customers want is not easy to define as their requirements are always changing. Other business segments seem to address this problem better than rail, and recognising that railways need to improve their approach to the customer experience is the first step towards an improved offer for passengers.
Customer experience, defined as “the customer’s voice,” has to be coordinated with design, engineering and integration of products and services within the train, which must be operated and maintained effectively throughout the duration of its design life. There is also the small matter of meeting technical standards, operating safely, and making a profit.
Customer experience is not a commodity and train builders, operators and OEMs should be influenced by the demands and expectations of customers. A customer-centric company will probably encourage greater collaboration, circularity of thinking and methodologies to achieve a better outcome. Get this right and the customer will want to use a train, which the train builder is able to manufacture, and the railway wants to operate and maintain.
A train will be refurbished at least twice during its design life of 30-35 years. It will therefore benefit from good design principles, enabling work to take place quickly, and a design which is relatively timeless and adaptable.
The environment will also become an increasingly important factor. It will only be a matter of time before sustainable values are included in future train specifications, which will influence design and customer experience. For example, new trains will need to meet emerging requirements for lower levels of embedded carbon by reducing energy consumption during manufacturing and operation. Trains will also have improved end of life credentials by using recyclable materials.
The need for greater flexibility in design thinking is emphasised in the post-Covid-19 pandemic period. Commuting patterns have changed and leisure travel is now in the ascendency.
The rail industry needs to be braver and smarter by regularly asking customers what they want. It then needs to listen and use this feedback to make better-informed decisions.
New trains are likely to require different seating configurations and environments to suit passengers seeking both opportunities for work and relaxation. This could range from open- seating configurations for high-patronage services, to family spaces which work well for all demographics. The travelling environment will incorporate materials and finishes aligned with end-of-life repurposing, saving weight, and creating durable, welcoming, and calm interiors and intuitive spaces.
Among our current work is the establishment of new, integrated interior systems for alternative traction rolling stock. Many of the materials under consideration would have been unheard of in earlier platforms. But the need for reducing weight using organic materials and repurposing are creating opportunities for fresh, customer-facing solutions and amenities that we have not seen before.
For example, seats are incorporating alternative trims, which have a lower carbon impact and are 100% recyclable.
Mindset
Disappointingly, instituting the wider changes in mindset necessary remains a challenge. The pursuit of innovation and technology can be glacially slow in the rail sector, limiting the rapid advancement of new technologies. Yet there is also a case for incremental change and modest improvement at much less risk. By working closely with customers to identify where gains can be made, these humbler improvements may significantly improve the service and ultimately remove much larger barriers to travel.
Offering first-rate Wi-Fi connectivity and at-seat power would be a good start. This is regularly identified as a barrier to using rail in customer research. After all, everything from planning an onward journey to buying tickets, ordering food and drink, and offering feedback can all be done at-seat if there is good, reliable connectivity.
“If you can deliver to my seat a fresh breakfast sandwich, good coffee, and fresh orange juice, I don’t really mind what it costs. I will have had an extra quarter of an hour in bed.”
Currently, there is too much emphasis on ticket sales and not enough on exploring other potential revenue streams. Service innovation can improve the offer to the passenger while adding to the bottom line. For example, offering an at-seat breakfast within 10 minutes of boarding could lead to growth in last-minute, walk-on fares, as a quote from customer research illustrates:
“If you can deliver to my seat a fresh breakfast sandwich, good coffee, and fresh orange juice, I don’t really mind what it costs. I will have had an extra quarter of an hour in bed.”
Such a model could extend to car parking at the station by allowing customers to potentially reserve a space before they arrive. Stations could also allow pop-up seasonal shops and incorporate small supermarkets, niche retail and service outlets.
Although customer experience is subjective, introducing additional services, and thereby creating new opportunities to create ancillary revenue, could easily become part of the future rail journey experience and change expectations of what people can do when using the train. Indeed, embracing customer-centricity and circular methodologies where all parts of the business work together may lead to changes in the overall effectiveness and productivity of rail businesses by helping to eliminate silos between different departments.
Focusing attention on the journey and embracing effective, collaborative problem-solving will also result in the emergence of new tools and methodologies as the business becomes more experienced in this way of working. These could be used to open up further opportunities that are not currently foreseen and enable rail companies to better adapt to future changes in passenger behaviour, needs and expectations than they are currently.
The rail industry needs to be braver and smarter by regularly asking customers what they want. It then needs to listen and use this feedback to make better-informed decisions. And once the process has been completed, start again. After all, the answers to many of the sector’s current problems are hiding in plain sight.
