The government wants a new rail passenger watchdog to give travellers a stronger voice and hold the railway to account. Its first case should concern the platform announcement that can predict a short delay but cannot identify which side of the station contains the train.
The proposal forms part of plans for Great British Railways to bring track and train together. A timetable has asked whether this means the two systems may finally meet the connecting service they have been promising, rather like two officials arriving at the same meeting after agreeing to improve coordination.
At the Office of Platform Truth, inspector Celia Carriage welcomed the proposed watchdog. “Passengers deserve clear information,” she said. “We have placed the phrase ‘due shortly’ under observation and removed its access to a microphone.”
The government says the new body would address complaints, investigate persistent problems, publish reports on poor service and help passengers navigate confusing fares and tickets. It could also refer persistent problems to the railway regulator, giving the phrase ‘please remain patient’ its first serious fear of consequences.
This is welcome news for anyone who has spent twenty minutes studying a departure board displaying the word ‘delayed’ in three different fonts. At last, the board may have to explain whether the train is late, lost or enjoying the freedom promised by rail reform.
The proposed watchdog is meant to give passengers a voice. Unfortunately, the railway already has several voices, including the automated one that announces a platform change precisely when the crowd has reached the wrong end of the station. It speaks with the confidence of an institution that has never had to catch anything.
Chief Witness for the Waiting Room Derek Signal said the organisation would listen carefully. “Instead of telling people nothing with confidence, we will tell them something,” he said. “It may still involve a replacement bus, but it will know its own name.”
Bringing track and train together could simplify a system that has treated coordination as an optional extra. The harder task will be persuading every part of the railway that passengers are not merely witnesses to an experiment in public patience, with refreshments available at their own expense.
When the watchdog opens its first investigation, it should begin with the loudspeaker. It knows the delay, the platform and the replacement bus, yet continues to speak as if the train is a confidential government document. The only thing due shortly will be an explanation, assuming it can find the station.
Real story: Department for Transport.
