Southend Victoria engineering works in May 2019: passenger research

1. Southend Victoria engineering works in May 2019: passenger research

2. Foreword – Transport Focus Transport Focus is pleased to have continued its work on behalf of passengers to improve the way major infrastructure upgrades are carried out and to minimise the resulting disruption. This project looked at engineering works on Greater Anglia’s London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria line in May 2019. The results suggest that while weekday line closures are unwelcome, they may be preferable to extended periods with no late evening or weekend trains. Despite a tight timescale, Greater Anglia successfully communicated the dates of the closure, the impact on journeys and the benefits the work should bring. Transport Focus knows from its other engineering work research that passengers responding to surveys online tend to be more engaged with the railway and more aware of engineering-related communications. This project used solely an online approach and while the results may therefore not be representative of all passengers, Transport Focus is confident that they reflect the views of many users of the line. Guy DangerfieldHead of strategy 2

3. Foreword – Greater Anglia The Southend nine-day blockade saw Greater Anglia and Network Rail working very closely together to try to minimise disruption to customers from an ongoing major upgrade on the Southend Victoria-Shenfield line. It came about after Greater Anglia set up a joint working party with Network Rail, involving departments from across the business, to find a way to complete works quicker and with the least inconvenience to customers, following customer and stakeholder feedback. The working group met frequently over many months to plan carefully for the blockade. We very much welcome Transport Focus’s survey. It gives us valuable information which will help us to decide how to improve what we do for the benefit of our customers should there be future blockades on our network. It is also encouraging to see what passengers felt we did particularly well. For instance, it showed our joint GA/NR communications plan was successful, with survey respondents showing very high levels of awareness about the works, and the majority saying they found out about it 1-2 months before the start date, which was a key objective of our communications. • Jay Thompson • Train Service Delivery Director 3

4. Introduction Transport Focus has amassed a wealth of knowledge around planned disruption on the railway covering major infrastructure works at: • Reading • Bath Spa • Liverpool Lime Street • London Waterloo • Derby • Brighton main line • and coming soon, London King’s Cross • (as well as the M4 Smart Motorway upgrade (J3-12)). This provides valuable benchmark data on passengers’ awareness of these projects, their satisfaction with information provision and their experience during line closures and on replacement road transport. Our work with Greater Anglia on the Southend Victoria line closure during the May 2019 half-term is designed to utilize and build on this expertise. 4

5. About this Survey The survey uses Transport Focus’s ‘standard’ questionnaire to enable comparisons to be made with other projects But, to keep costs low and in view of the limited set-up time for the research, there is one key difference in the methodology: • passengers participating in the Southend Victoria line survey were all recruited from the appropriate page on the Greater Anglia website or through invitations posted on social media (other projects have used this online approach to bolster a core sample recruited face-to-face at stations or on trains) • from other surveys we know that online participants are more ‘engaged’ with the railway and have been shown to be more knowledgeable about any works and the associated disruption. Therefore our expectation has been for passengers in the Southend Victoria line research to show higher awareness and to ‘score’ above average on their knowledge For a number of reasons, responses to the second wave of research carried out during the line closure are fewer than anticipated and do not provide a robust sample for detailed scrutiny; readers should therefore focus on the initial wave of research carried out ahead of the line closure. 5

6. Methodology Wave 2 Wave 1 • Fieldwork was conducted in two ‘waves’ with responses received for: • Wave 1 – from 20 May (before the line closure) • Wave 2 – from 30 May (during the closure) • Responses were accepted up to Wednesday 5 June • Wave 1 generated 210 responses • Fewer invitations were posted on social media in Wave 2 than had been anticipated, generating only 57 responses • Some links to the Wave 1 questionnaire were mistakenly posted after the works had commenced; responses to these posts have still been included as Wave 1 SOURCE OF COMPLETION • Separate links were provided to identify different web-sites and social media posts; unfortunately it is unclear which links were used for which source and which wave • Wave 1 is dominated by Referrer (source) 1 and Wave 2 by Referrer 2; this could be important in explaining differences between the waves *Caution – low base 6

7. Respondent profile 7

8. Who we spoke to WORK STATUS GENDER * AGE CHILDREN * * Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) – *Caution – low base. 8

9. Who we spoke to OCCUPTATION JOURNEY PURPOSE * TICKET TYPE TICKET PURCHASED * * Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) – *Caution – low base. 9

10. Overall satisfaction with journey and experience of delay 10

11. Delay or disruption experienced on most recent journey Did you experience any delay or disruption to your train journey? What types of delay or disruption did you experience today? Train was delayed en route after you boarded Train overcrowded / busier than normal Train was late leaving your departure station Train spent time waiting outside a station(s) along your route Bus replacement for all or part of your journey Train you wanted to catch was cancelled Train spent excessive time waiting at the platform at a station(s) along your route Other * * Base: All – Wave 1 (201), Wave 2* (57). All those experiencing a delay – Wave 1 (81), Wave 2* (42) *Caution – low base. 11

12. Overall satisfaction with today’s journey Overall how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with your most recent train journey? Wave 1 Wave 2* Very satisfied Very satisfied Very dissatisfied Fairly satisfied Very dissatisfied Fairly satisfied 16% SATISFIED (Top 2 Box) 33% SATISFIED (Top 2 Box) Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Greater Anglia (main line) – NRPS overall satisfaction – Spring 2019: 83 per cent Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) *Caution – low base. 12

13. Awareness of improvement works and level of knowledge 13

14. Awareness of improvement works How much, if anything, would you say that you know about the Southend Victoria line improvement works? Before today were you aware of the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? Wave 1 No Yes Wave 2* No Yes * Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57)/all who were aware of the works – Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54) *Caution – low base. 14

15. When found out When did you first find out about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? * More than nine out of ten passengers found out about the works at least three weeks beforehand Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54) *Caution – low base. 15

16. What do passengers know about the improvement works and planned line closures? What do you know about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? “Very old equipment is being replaced. It has been going on for at least three years over weekends and evenings and now is being accelerated by closing the line for ten days. You could ask why the very old equipment wasn't replaced earlier rather than wait for it to become antiquated.” Male commuter, aged 60-64 “The nine-day closure is justified by a two-three month reduction in works in the overall programme, completing in March 2019. However, these should not be considered in isolation, mid-week and weekend engineering works have been common for the last three years due to Crossrail which is why there is great frustration with this nine-day closure.” Male commuter, aged 35-44 “I know the line is closing but not what for.” Female commuter, aged 19-25 “I understand that the line is old and the cables need replacing. I think sadly this was started just after our line being closed due to the Crossrail works in Shenfield.” Female commuter, aged 55-59 16

17. Awareness of implications of works – top eight aspects Which of the following statements about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures were you aware of before today? The line between Wickford and Southend Victoria will close for nine days over the May 2019 half-term holiday (25 May until 2 June) A limited rail replacement bus service will run between all intermediate stations, and there will be reduced service between Wickford and London Greater Anglia’s advice is to use alternative transport where possible During the nine days of the May half-term line closure, holders of Greater Anglia monthly or annual season ticket holders may use c2c services to Fenchurch Street or Limehouse * Weekend work, with rail replacement between some stations, will continue on most weekends over September, October and November Revised rail and bus timetables for the nine day closure from 25 May to 2 June are now available on the Greater Anglia website Passengers are being advised not to drive to other local stations, as there will be very limited capacity in their car parks The line will remain open for most of the summer months. There will be no weekend works during July and most of August, with the exception of the first trains starting later on Sunday mornings Good awareness of nine day May half-term closure and replacement buses, but less so for travel advice and on-going works Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54) *Caution – low base. 17

18. Awareness of implications of works – bottom seven Which of the following statements about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures were you aware of before today? Trains on other local lines will be very busy and passengers may not get a seat Weekend closures will continue until 29 and 30 June 2019 Train services will be suspended on the line between Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020 * The final phase of weekend works, when buses replace trains, is planned to begin from the first weekend of January 2020 and continue every weekend until the end of March, with one final weekend required on 18 and 19 April 2020 (Easter weekend) The Southminster line should remain open as normal while the works on the Southend Victoria line are completed There will be a further line closure over the August bank holiday weekend None of the above Awareness of on-going works is markedly lower than for the May half-term line closure Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54)*Caution – low base. 18

19. Actions taken Which, if any, of the following actions have you taken during the line closure from the 25th May to the 2nd June? Work from home/another office on some days Take annual leave for some or all of the time Travel via an alternative route Start your journey(s) earlier Avoid travelling during the May bank holiday week Use the rail replacement bus Travel to/from a different Greater Anglia station Drive myself Start your journey(s) later Use a service bus (not a rail replacement bus) Car share Cycle Other * Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54)*Caution – low base. 19

20. Information channels 20

21. Top 10 ways they found out In which of the following ways did you find out about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and planned line closures? Social Media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) Posters / notices around a station Website – Greater Anglia Friend, relative or colleague News in local press / radio / TV Announcements made at a station Leaflets handed out at a station Posters / Stickers on the train Information screens at stations * High recall of social media likely to be an effect of sample being recruited via social media Staff member – at a station or on a train • Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54)*Caution – low base. 21

22. Bottom 10 ways they found out In which of the following ways did you find out about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and planned line closures? Website – National Rail Enquiries Announcements made on train Timetable on the internet or printed Train travel app Email from the train company Other website Leaflets left on train seats SMS / text message from the train company † Informed when I booked my ticket * • Base: All who were aware of the works - Wave 1 (202), Wave 2* (54)*Caution – low base. † less than 1% 22

23. Future comms preferences How far in advance would you expect to be informed about disruption to the railway caused by the Southend Victoria line improvement works and planned line closures? What would be the best way(s) to let you know about disruption to your journey in the future? Social Media Posters/notices around a station Website – Greater Anglia Information screens at station Email from a train company Announcements made at a station Announcements made on a train Posters/stickers on a train Leaflets handed out at a station Train/travel app SMS/text message from a train company Informed when I bought my ticket News in local press/radio/TV Timetable (on the internet or printed) Website – National Rail Enquiries Leaflets left on train seats Staff member – at station or on train Friend, relative or colleague Other website Don’t know Preference for social media probably an effect of sample being recruited via social media Base: All - Wave 1 (210) 23

24. Satisfaction with information Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the information currently being provided about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and planned line closures? Wave 1 Wave 2* Very satisfied Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Very dissatisfied Fairly satisfied Very dissatisfied 17% SATISFIED (Top 2 Box) 23% SATISFIED (Top 2 Box) Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Satisfaction scores considerably lower than on other similar projects Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57)*Caution – low base 24

25. What more would passengers like to know about the improvement works and planned line closures? What more would you like to know about the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? “How can an engineering project like this take so very long to complete? The amount of disruption caused over a number of years (three, four, plus years) by not having any trains at weekends is unacceptable. How many people are network rail employing to complete the work? Seems to be the bare minimum to me and that is why it is taking so long. Why are passengers not actually been compensated for only having a train service five days a week when we are paying £4,000 a year.” Male commuter, aged 35-44 “How many carriages the trains are? So passengers can better plan which trains may be more/less crowded. More detail about the work itself being carried out by Network Rail, so that perhaps passengers would be more understanding as to why the line has to be closed for nine consecutive days?” Female commuter, aged 26-34 “Is the station shut completely or can I still use the platform crossing? Car park is opposite side to bus pick up point and I would usually cross platforms. Long walk around otherwise. Will buses arrive completely full of previous stations’ passengers or do we have Rayleigh bus?” Female commuter, aged 45 -54 “Why leave it so late to public's attention of c2c cover and fast peak buses so you make costly alternative arrangements to get into work.” Male commuter, aged 45-54 25

26. Anticipated benefits and level of support 26

27. Anticipated benefits of improvement works What do you think the benefits will be to you personally once the Southend Victoria line improvement works are complete? Improved reliability on Greater Anglia’s Southend Victoria line No Perceived Benefits Wave 1 The overhead wires will be less likely to sag in hot weather 47% The new wires will mean less need for temporary speed limits during hot weather The nine day closure avoids six further weekend line closures and eleven weeks of midweek night closures Journey times will be reduced in the future [included to assess levels of misattribution] Wave 2* 30% Don’t Know Other * Base: All - Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57)*Caution – low base. 27

28. Strength of support To what extent do you support the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures, or do you have no feelings either way? Wave 1 Wave 2* Don’t know Don’t know Strongly support Strongly support Tend to support Tend to support Do not support 19% SUPPORT (Top 2 Box) 20% SUPPORT (Top 2 Box) Do not support No feelings either way No feelings either way Tend not to support Tend not to support Support scores considerably lower than on other similar projects – even Derby at 47 per cent and Brighton at 52 per cent during the works Base: All - Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57)*Caution – low base. 28

29. Why do passengers support or oppose the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? Why do you say that? Strongly support / tend to support Do not support / tend not to support “Rail use is continuing to rise meaning that the ancient equipment is long past its useful life. Replacement should have started years ago and work should only take place when the lines are closed at night. Doing the work as it has been planned has a tremendous effect on rail users who have few alternatives, some may face issues at work as a result, possibly up to being dismissed.” Do not support Male business traveler, aged 55-59 “It is drastically needed as the current cables are 60+ years and are currently not fit for the new trains and increased services in new timetables in the future.” Strongly support Male leisure traveler, aged 16-18 “This needs to happen but why on earth does it take so long? I have learnt a lot from this survey, I can use another line without extra change, I was wrongly informed on this and actually quite frustrated by it. The survey also answered questions on dates. I am however flabbergasted this all goes on into 2020...” Tend to support Male commuter, aged 45-54 “Because I pay nearly four thousand pounds a year for a train service between London and Southend. I don’t want to take buses or detours to stations that are less convenient. Rather than doing all this work in a big effort, shouldn’t it be spread out over many years of ongoing investment, rather than years of spending nothing then this mess.” Tend not to support Male commuter, aged 45 - 54 29

30. Trust All things considered and on balance, how much do you trust Greater Anglia? Overall Greater Anglia trust scores from NRPS have been running at 34 per cent or higher (23 per cent for commuters) Could low trust scores be a reflection of Southend Victoria line passengers’ frustration with on-going weekend line closures? * Base: All – Wave 1 (201), Wave 2* (57)*Caution – low base. 30

31. Other passenger comments Do you have any other comments on the Southend Victoria line improvement works and the planned line closures? “As expected, the comms have not been completely honest, GA don’t give any reason to be trusted. Leaflet handed out said on front page closures until end of March 2020, then hidden at the end of the back page then says another closure in Apr. So no clear end to all these works! Only through people moaning has c2c ticket acceptance been put in place. Arrogance of GA saying that no refund/compensation should/need to be paid but then they are putting on less trains/buses, advising you not to travel - i.e. clearly saying they won’t be delivering the right level of service to passengers but tough luck!” Male commuter, aged 35-44 “Good luck with completing the important project, I hope you understand commuters’ frustrations and the need to better inform the public. Appreciate the opportunity to comment.” Male commuter, aged 45-54 “If it is a benefit in the long run, it needs to be done - one major issue is the advice “not to travel or use alternative GA services” - we need to get to work every day and so not travelling is not an option!” Male commuter, aged 26 - 34 “Compensation, compensation, compensation OR at the very LEAST discounted renewal, IF I choose to stay on this line that is.” Male commuter, aged 35-44 31

32. Rail replacement experience 32

33. Replacement bus usage Thinking about your most recent journey on the Southend Victoria line, did you have to use a rail replacement bus or coach as part of the journey? Wave 1 Wave 2* Yes Yes No No Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57)*Caution – low base. 33

34. Replacement bus satisfaction You said earlier that your journey involved a replacement bus. Thinking about when you caught or changed to the replacement bus, how satisfied were you with the following? Wave 2* Base: All who took rail replacement bus with an opinion (i.e. excluding ‘Don’t know/No opinion’) – Wave 2* (Directions=30) (Frequency=31) (Punctuality=30) (Time allowed=30) (Overall standard=30) (Help with luggage=17)*Caution – low bases. 34

35. Bus standard vs train And how did the bus standards compare with the train on each of the following? Wave 2* Base: All who took rail replacement bus with an opinion (i.e. excluding ‘Not sure’) – Wave 2* (Size of seats=29) (Legroom=30) (On-board toilet facilities=19) (Ease of boarding=30) (Ease of getting to/from=30) (Feeling safe and secure=29)*Caution – low bases. 35

36. Key findings (1/3) Awareness of the May disruption, at 96% in Wave 1 before the line closure, is commendable and higher than most benchmark projects • This level may be affected in part by the fact that passengers for the Southend Victoria research were all recruited on-line and will therefore have higher levels of engagement and awareness Satisfaction with the provision of information is disappointing at just 17% before the line closure – compared with benchmark levels generally in excess of 40% Before the line closure, more than a third of passengers (36%) planned to work from home or another location on some days, while three in ten (30%) planned to take annual leave, a quarter (26%) to travel via an alternative route with one in five (18%) intending to avoid travelling that week; these figures are in line with the findings from the recent research into the Brighton Main Line closure which was also nine days over the February half-term holiday 36

37. Key findings (2/3) Our Southend Victoria passengers were most likely to have found out about the disruption through social media – and to advocate social media for communications about future disruption • This is likely to be accounted for in part by the fact that the participants were all recruited on-line including via social media • Although passengers mention a similar range of information channels, total mentions for each channel tend to be lower than the benchmarks suggesting that passengers may have been subject to fewer message occasions While passengers correctly recall benefits including improved reliability and the OLE being less susceptible to heat, just under half (47%) were unable to mention a benefit – considerably more than for the Brighton Main Line project (12%) Low awareness of the benefits may be reflected in the relatively low level of support for the improvement works – 19% compared with 51% for the Brighton Main Line and 79% for London Waterloo. 37

38. Key findings (3/3) The Wave 2 sample (during the line closure) is small in any case, and the number of passengers using a rail replacement bus even lower at around a half (54% of 57), nevertheless satisfaction with the buses is generally comparable with the benchmark studies We note that passengers on the Southend Victoria line have experienced an extended period of weekend line closures and this may have impacted their attitudes, however the same applies to the Brighton Main Line where any impact appears to be much lower This ongoing disruption to journeys may also have influenced passengers’ level of Trust in Greater Anglia – in this research we see a level of just 5% compared with 34% or higher from recent waves of the NRPS Our expectation that passengers recruited to an on-line survey are more engaged and better informed than passengers at large could mean that the survey findings paint a slightly rosier picture than would have been obtained with a more representative sample in line with the benchmark surveys. 38

39. Recommendations for future projects Discussions with Transport Focus should start sooner… Pre-works wave(s) should be scheduled to allow sufficient time to analyze and report on findings in time to take action before disruptive activity takes place Social media team would benefit from earlier briefing/better guidance but, basically, the process works ‘Online only’ research approach is cost-effective but is not fully representative; online respondents are more ‘engaged’ and inevitably more alert to social media activity; consider intercept approach (as NRPS) to cover wider target audience An additional pre wave(s) would be useful to monitor growth in awareness and react accordingly. 39

40. Appendix 40

41. Who we spoke to Other 13% Other 7% JOURNEY FREQUENCY White 88% White 92% ETHNICITY * * No 25% No 19% DISABILITY IMPACT OF DISABILITY Yes 81% Yes 75% * Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) *Caution – low base. 41

42. Journey origin and destination Thinking about your most recent journey travelling on Greater Anglia's Southend Victoria line, at which station did you start your journey (i.e. where you first caught the train)? * And which station was your destination? Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) *Caution – low base. 42

43. Journey time of departure * Base: All – Wave 1 (210), Wave 2* (57) *Caution – low base. 43

44. Contact Transport Focus Catherine Folca, stakeholder manager catherine.folca@transportfocus.org.uk 0300 123 0856 keith.bailey@transportfocus.org.uk 0300 123 0822 transportfocus.org.uk @transportfocus Keith Bailey, senior insight advisor 44