During the opening ceremony of InnoTrans 2018 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology, in Berlin, representatives of the European Union, rail industry companies and the German government spoke about the most important directions for the development of the European railway system. They agreed that rail transport is crucial in a growing Europe and emphasized that the passenger is the most important in this scheme. Trade fairs, which gather so many people acting in the railways, are extremely important for the entire transport sector. Multimodality and mobility are the topic that matters. In my opinion, railways can be of great importance for the future of mobility. However, we must ensure that it becomes better and better, Violeta Bulc, EU Transport Commissioner, said during the opening ceremony of InnoTrans 2018.
The representative of the European Commission pointed out how many people use the transport system on a daily basis. She presented the Eurobarometer research results that showed how Europeans evaluate railway systems. One of the indicators was satisfaction with the frequency of trains, which is currently at the level of 66%.
“I hope that our joint efforts will increase the public satisfaction ratios for rail transport in Europe in the next 5 years. We will check it in the next studies. But it is important to mention that this year’s results are better that the results we listed 5 years ago” – EU Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc commented.
The European Commission has published, on September 18th, the results of a Eurobarometer survey on satisfaction of Europeans with rail services, which looked at who travels by train and why, as well as to what extent people are happy with the services provided.
According to the survey, 66% of Europeans are satisfied with the frequency of trains. Punctuality and reliability are also well received, with 59% of users satisfied. Moreover, 55% of Europeans are satisfied with the provision of information during the journey, particularly when facing a delay. These figures all represent significant improvements on the results of a similar survey carried out in 2013. The survey also provides an insight into travel habits. Four out of five (80%) Europeans travel by train, and they are most likely to use the train for suburban trips (67%). More than three quarters (78%) never make international trips by rail.
Significant room for improvement remains: only 38% of Europeans are satisfied with complaint handling mechanisms, and the accessibility of rail services for persons with reduced mobility requires further work. For example, only 41% of Europeans expressed satisfaction with assistance provided by station staff for persons with disabilities or persons with reduced mobility. The figures also show a need to strengthen the enforcement of passenger rights.
The survey shows that 75% of Europeans find that buying train tickets is easy and 62% are happy with the availability of tickets for the journeys using several trains and transport. It illustrates the value of continued efforts to promote multimodality– that is, the use of different modes or means of transport on the same journey – thereby increasing the attractiveness of rail services.
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