Delphine Grandsart
delphine.grandsart[at]epf.eu
Research officer

“Railway operators should work together more. If we get people out of the car and into the train, everyone will benefit”, says Delphine Grandsart, researcher at the European Passenger Federation (EPF). In an interview with RailTech, she talks about the needs of passengers, through-ticketing, and the importance of a user-centered approach for achieving a shift to rail.

There are two things that should be at the focus of attention. Firstly, a more user-centred attitude is needed, starting from the passengers’ perspective instead of the industry’s perspective. There are a lot of ways to involve passengers, such as performing more passenger satisfaction surveys, involving them in the development of new services from the beginning, and including different target groups, lists Grandsart. ”Some countries also have boards of passengers that give input when there is a new timetable or new rolling stock is being purchased.” Secondly, rail is part of a complete system, part of a public transport network. It is important to see this as one whole, and not only look at one particular piece in it. “To enable seamless travel, it is important to look at the journey from door to door, so people can transfer between different transport modes smoothly. This also implies integrated information and ticketing possibilities.”

We also need to make booking easier and encourage through ticketing, which would ensure better passenger protection in case something goes wrong at any leg of a multimodal trip. Pricing and value for money is also a major aspect influencing travel choice. The price of transport should reflect its real cost, to instigate a modal shift towards more sustainable mobility modes.

The full interview can be read on RailTech’s website.

Delphine Grandsart is one of the speakers at RailTech Europe 2021 from March 30 – 1 April. All operators, infrastructure managers, academics & policy makers can attend the event for free. Visit the website for more information.