WCPD Director highlights unique opportunity presented by UK high-speed rail

• West Coast Partnership Development Customer Experience and Commercial Director Joost Noordewier joined industry experts for panel discussion
• He explained the work WCPD is doing to understand future customer needs
• The panel discussed the role local authorities can play in improving rail

One of West Coast Partnership Development's (WCPD) senior directors has highlighted the unique opportunity high-speed rail in the UK presents for getting more people on to trains.

WCPD Customer Experience and Commercial Director, Joost Noordewier was speaking in a panel discussion on RAIL magazine’s latest webinar, centred around the topic of how the industry attracts more customers to rail in the coming years alongside societal and social changes. He spoke alongside Silka Kennedy-Todd, Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT); Norman Baker from Campaign for Better Transport and Ian Baxter, SLC Rail, with the session hosted by RAIL Magazine editor, Nigel Harris.

Speaking to an online audience, Joost explained that the new HS2 railway between London, West Mildands, the North West and Scotland, presents a great chance to design new infrastructure and trains that delivers on customers’ needs. He talked about how the industry, has to put customers at the heart of its decision-making, and that they have to work closely with a clear vision of what it wants to achieve together. Areas for improvement highlighted by ongoing WCPD-led customer research includes making fares more simple, better live-journey information and enhancing mobile and WiFi connectivity.

In the hour and half long event, the panel discussed numerous topics including the government’s leadership in the growth of rail and the roles of local authorities can take in improving services within their areas of jurisdiction. There were points raised around rail’s role in the future and Joost highlighted the work WCPD is doing around scenario mapping, where transport needs to work better as one industry to provide connectivity into rural areas.

He said: “We have a unique opportunity to evolve our industry to ensure that it continues to grow, and that we need to make sure that rail is preferred mode of transport.

“With future High-Speed services, one of our biggest challenges is to make sure that our trains deliver for all the different customer needs across our route.

“We have to continue our work as an industry to get people on to trains, and think how we can be more innovative with ticketing and also integration with other transport at stations.”

ENDS