5. Pedagogical guidelines on information to be provided to travellers about resumption of train services based on the passenger point of view

To help staff overcome the difficult of understanding and realising how to formulate passenger announcements from the “user point of view”, pedagogical material was produced to encourage responsible dissemination of information.
Announcements improved with the teaching material; checks carried out showed that the progress achieved was still effective after 12 months

When train services are suspended, it would be possible to reduce passenger dissatisfaction if their main concern could be addressed, that is to say if announcements about when operations are expected to resume are issued as early as possible. However, staff making announcements are sometimes uncomfortable about disseminating information which is either uncertain or will subject to change. Therefore, if staff fail to realise that giving information as early as possible is an effective way to reduce passenger dissatisfaction, they may may hold back from making announcements.

Consequently, in order to avoid excessive bias from personal experience or subjectivity influencing the decision of the announcer when weighing up if an announcement should be made or not, using passenger survey data to support explanations (Fig.1), a set of audiovisual teaching material was developed following a proposal for a method to help staff understand and realize that early announcements are effective (Fig.2).

The proposed method does not aim simply to convey knowledge; it aims to restructure knowledge in order to change mindsets and normative conscious about information to be given in unusual situations, whereby fostering deep rooted changes in understanding and awareness. It is for this reason that even after going through the audiovisual material once the positive effect on awareness and in practice are lasting.

The training was carried out across a number of railway companies producing tangible improvements in awareness about and making of announcements, checks 12 months later confirmed that these improvements were lasting (Fig.3).

This training material can therefore be used widely to increase staff understanding and awareness.

Fig.1 Screen shot of teaching material - customer survey based explanation
Fig.2 Flow diagram of proposed method
Fig.3 Change recorded over one year of
improvement in announcements