Paper for LANDOR London Rail Conference 2004
Abstract
In general, the British national passenger rail industry has witnessed in recent years a substantial growth in patronage. Despite suffering from passenger losses as a result of the Hatfield accident in October 2000 and the ensuing speed restrictions and the track replacement work shortly afterwards, the industry managed to recover the lost ground within a year and reached a record level of patronage in 2002/03. It has been commonly accepted that the underlying overall variations between sectors can best be explained by the particular factors that affect all of the business in each sector. Train Operating Companies (TOCs) in London and the South East, for instance, are strongly affected by trends in central London employment, and growth in GDP. In some cases, dramatic shifts in quality indicators (such as the Public Performance Measure, PPM) can also be correlated with changes in ridership, the clearest such being the effects of the Hatfield crash.
Authors
Ellery Salida, Jason Zhou and Professor Peter White
Transport Studies Group
University of Westminster
35 Marylebone Road
London NW1 5LS