Nicoll – RESEARCH INTO GREAT BRITAIN PASSENGER RAIL TIMETABLE 1996

Description

BR Projects (July 1996) reviewed the Great Britain Passenger Rail Timetable (GBPRT) using depth interviews with rail staff (22), the public (34), travel agents (8) and company travel departments (6), and audited existing research and the Winter 1995 edition. Key findings: many travellers are not timetable-literate, want simple clear information, and rely on rail staff/TEBs for complex queries; travel agents distrust timetable accuracy and prefer sources with fares and booking capability. Rail staff cited format and amendment problems. Main recommendations: update GBPRT presentation to reflect industry restructuring; simplify and prioritise ‘need to know’ information; clarify symbols and day-of-week distinctions (separate Mon–Fri/Sat/Sun tables or coloured pages); improve engineering work and bank-holiday information; enhance station index, maps and symbols (disabled access, cycle carriage, seat reservations, operators). Production systems described include Protim (planning), TSDB (central train database), CIF (daily extracts) and Railtrack-managed publication processes, supplements and associated products (ABC, pocket timetables). Disabled-access symbol suspended until standardized definitions and operator contact details are established.