Hutchinson – AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN RAILWAY TIMETABLE LEAFLETS 1981

Description

T. P. Hutchinson compared free British Rail timetable leaflets with the full passenger timetable for ten city‑to‑city journeys to assess the completeness of information provided. Using a graphical method that contrasts frequency versus journey time, he found leaflets satisfactory in four cases, substantially incomplete in four (omitting faster or more numerous services via alternate routes—often via London), and intermediate in two. Notable omissions included Glasgow–Ipswich, Southampton–Birmingham, Cardiff–Leeds, and Doncaster–Cambridge where leaflets favored a single route while better options existed. Two cases (March–Sheffield, St Albans–Nottingham) omitted several services; four routes showed little scope for improvement. Hutchinson notes limitations: subjective judgments on connections, no fare comparisons, and non‑random sampling, so results are preliminary. Nonetheless he concludes timetable leaflets frequently omit useful services and could be improved, particularly for routes not on main lines from London.