Improving Customer Experience of Unplanned Rail Disruptions

Key aims

  • To improve passenger and wider community experience of unplanned rail disruptions while considering:
  • Protocols for planning, coordination and reporting between the Department and various PT Operators
  • Customer communication expectations
  • Impact on a wide group of stakeholders including passengers with access needs (disabled persons of all types)
  • Mechanisms that can be implemented to mitigate the impact of the disruption.

Research components

  1. Research Literature Review: review of published evidence on URD including technologies associated with passenger communications related to URDs
  2. World Transit Industry Practice Review:
    • 10 key transit authorities to understand recent developments in URD management.
    • Explore good practices in technology and public announcements and infrastructure (station) design for URD’s
  3. Online User Survey: survey of passengers including those with access needs to understand their experiences and suggested priorities for improvements.

Research context

  • Need to update passenger experience evidence from a PTRG survey in 2014 for Metro Trains
  • Advances and New developments in Passenger Communications
  • Advances in Unplanned Railway Practices
  • Special focus on passengers with ‘accessibility needs
  • Development of new procedures for the new rail franchise in Melbourne

Research outputs

Currie, G. & Muir C (2017) ‘Understanding Passenger Perceptions and Behaviors During Unplanned Rail Disruptions“, Transportation Research Procedia 25C (2017) 4396–4406