Northern Rail - Don't Know if They Are Coming or Going

My life has been really chaotic this week because of having to take my mum to and from Oxford to visit my step father in hospital, so it was nice to have a quiet few minutes listening to the radio yesterday lunchtime. You and Yours was on Radio 4 and they had a report about Northern Rail and the problems experienced by passengers at Worksop Station. As if putting up with delays and cancellations was not bad enough, the passengers complained that lack of information was adding to their frustration. Station staff at Worksop don't seem to able to get up to date information on delays, but the station Café owner has found a way of keeping customers up to date. The train crew ring ahead with their food orders and at the same time they update him with information on delays etc. Richard Allen the head of communications for Northern Rail was interviewed and to his credit he didn't try to excuse the situation. He explained that investment is needed for the company to replace old equipment at stations, and they also need to review staffing levels. He tried to duck and dive a bit when he was faced with their poor passenger survey statistics but on the whole he gave sensible down to earth answers. If the café system works, maybe the best thing they could do is build on that by making a more formal arrangement for train crew to phone ahead.