Passenger surveys frequently draw the same conclusions: people want public transport services that are more frequent, more accessible, and better suited to their needs.
This was reinforced by a recent poll of more than 50 transportation industry specialists by Transit Unplugged, which asked the question: ‘What’s your top priority for improving public transport?’ Unsurprisingly, the top response was more frequent services (57%), followed by better accessibility for all (22%), enhanced safety measures (16%), and cleaner stations and vehicles (5%) [1].
Perennial issues, undoubtedly. However, at a time when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is enabling huge reinvestment in our railroads and public transit infrastructure, rail operators are in an unprecedented position to invest in innovation.
Many US railroads are investing in new data-driven technology to improve rail passenger experience. Operators are increasingly looking towards railroad digitalization to make user experience more convenient, more seamless, and more personalized.
These are some of the ways technology is transforming our passenger rail services.
1. Passenger Connectivity
Reliable and fast onboard passenger Wi-Fi is swiftly becoming a must-have for passenger rail. While it has become a more common feature for inter-city rail, business passengers who want to work and stay connected as they travel are demanding better services on all types of rail journeys, regardless of duration and location. Railroad operators are also differentiating their offering with quality food and beverage menus, more comfortable seating, and ready availability of charging stations for electronic devices.
2. Smart Ticketing
Smart ticketing platforms are rapidly taking over from paper ticketing, enabling passengers to book their tickets while on the go using their phone or tablet. Passengers can use smart ticketing apps to plan their journeys better and save money on fares, resulting in a more convenient, faster and frictionless experience.
In the UK, the smartTIS smart ticketing system by iBlocks enables Pay as You Go (PAYG) travel across one fifth of UK rail stations, and has so far handled more than 30 million passenger journeys across rail and bus. While passengers using smartTIS receive the best value fare for their journeys, rail operators benefit from a frictionless revenue collection system integrated with automated fraud detection. Rail operators also gain a more in-depth understanding of customer needs through analytical reporting which can review the impact of fare changes on both customer behavior and revenue.
The increasing popularity of digital wallets provides another opportunity for railroads to enhance convenience.
3. Generative AI and Personalized Customer Experience
While rail passengers are becoming accustomed to smart ticketing, and chatting to bots on rail websites, we are just beginning to tap into the potential for generative AI to improve customer interactions.
For example, Arriva UK Trains is investigating ways to use generative AI to interact with customers in a more simplified and personalized way, aiming to provide concise answers but also additional information when it would enhance the rail passenger experience.
“Currently, we’re exploring its potential by asking ourselves how it can relieve potential pain points in the customer journey,” explained Kerry Phillipson, Retail Project Manager at Arriva UK Trains, in an interview published in Global Railway Review [2]. “We’ve been analysing what we think the customer journey’s going to be like in the next five years. Undoubtedly, customers will expect instant responses, they won’t be wanting to wait in a queue or hold on a hotline, and needing to press buttons anymore. We will need information to be available 24/7 – in any language, at any location – and generative AI can really support that ambition.
“For instance, if there are train delays or cancellations, it would be great if a customer could go to an AI-driven bot that can tell them that their train is delayed, explain the impact of that in terms of timing and provide suitable alternative options.”
4. Improved Reliability
One of the most obvious factors impacting brand reputation is reliability: do your trains run on time?
It’s a simple question from a passenger point of view but railroad managers and engineers appreciate the sheer amount of work, decision-making and trouble-shooting that goes on behind the scenes to ensure passenger rail services are reliable and punctual.
Digitalization is making a significant impact on reliability and on-time performance by giving railroad operators increased visibility over their rail networks, improving efficiency and enabling better decision-making.
Sophisticated Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) platforms enable railroads to continuously keep cars moving and on schedule with fewer delays. Managed either from the cloud or on site, CAD systems enforce a consistent ruleset to increase safe train movements and enable better train schedule performance tracking.
5. Enhanced Rail Safety
The new generation of Positive Train Control (PTC) systems use highly intuitive automation technology to prevent collisions and derailments. PTC platforms also prevent incidents by stopping trains from moving through a track switch that has been left in the wrong position and halting unauthorized train entry into maintenance zones.
Recent advancements in PTC and CAD platforms have significantly reduced the risk of human error, as well as providing a consistent flow of detailed information to rail engineers, making it possible to better identify the root cause of problems and prevent them reoccurring.
Investing in Innovation
The digital transformation of our passenger rail services is a dynamic work in progress – and it will be interesting to witness over the next few years how railroads, both private and public, utilize rapidly developing technologies to future-proof their operations while retaining and attracting more customers.
While rail passenger concerns remain understandably focused on safety, reliability and accessibility, railroads have access to an increasing number of innovative tools to address these concerns.
Tracsis is the leading provider of software-based rail automation solutions, trusted by rail operators in Europe, North and Latin America. Find out more about our innovative rail technology.
[1] Transit Unplugged: https://www.linkedin.com/company/transit-unplugged/
[2] https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/article/176907/venturing-into-generative-ai-enhance-passenger-experience-arriva/