A bunch of people travelling from Upper Hutt to Wellington by train yesterday almost missed the replacement bus because TranzMetro thought that a tiny poster beside the train timetable was enough to alert us to the fact that the trains weren’t running. Nobody got off the bus to check there was nobody on the platform, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of people were left wondering why the trains never came.
I totally understand that the train lines need to be closed from time to time for maintenance and upgrading. I think they’re doing a good job, but why not put big signs on the platform to alert travellers that buses are replacing trains? In this instance it seems TranzMetro were more concerned about sticking with their corporate branding (the poster looked just like all their advertising posters) than communicating effectively with their customers.
It did prompt a bit of discussion about what sort of changes people would like to see to our local rail services. I’ve talked about this with a number of people in recent weeks and here are some of the things on their wish lists:
- WiFi on all train services so that people can work/play on the train (even if there was a small cost involved)
- Decent coffee carts on train platforms during peak hours, or on the trains themselves
- Slightly more room between each seat so that people can work on laptops or read the paper without bashing the head of the person in front
- More room for bikes (currently only 2 allowed per train)
- Electronic signs on the platforms saying when the next service is due
- Step-free access from platforms to make it easier for those with pushchairs/wheelchairs
- More enclosed shelters on the station platforms
- Integrated/electronic ticketing (like the Snapper cards)
- More carparks at some stations
- More frequent services / more express services during peak hours
Some of these things are coming when the new train units arrive later this year (eg. step-free access, more bike space), while others could actually prove revenue-generating opportunities (eg. user-pays WiFi or coffee carts). Others (integrated ticketing) could save money. I know the Regional Council are working on some of this stuff, but I reckon they could pick up the pace a bit. If we want more people using public transport we should be doing more to make it an attractive/convenient option.
