Did you know that Southeastern Rail has a Stakeholders’ Advisory Board?
No, nor did I until I picked up a Newsletter from Beckenham Station and saw an invitation to apply.
I filled in an application form, was shortlisted, interviewed by the Managing Director himself, Charles Horton, and finally appointed.
The Board consists of 10 members who are a mixture of employees, chair of a passenger group, and others such as commuters or leisure travellers, like myself.
What do we do?
We meet six times a year at Blackfriars and act as a sounding board for new plans and ideas where members can offer their thoughts and suggestions on issues such as fares, disruption, etc. We don’t generally take up individual complaints as that is the task of the Customer Services Department or London Travelwatch.
Highlighting travel issues for people with disabilities
My main reason for wanting to be a Board member was to highlight issues of accessibility for people with disabilities – not just mobility issues for wheelchair users but also for people with sensory or intellectual impairment.
In this respect I had a meeting with the Accessibility and Inclusion Manager to look at what is happening at Beckenham Junction Station. I was interested to hear that there are mystery shoppers who regularly report on how accessible stations are.
A wheelchair user and a man with visual impairment came to speak to us recently about their experiences in gaining access and buying tickets and services.
I am looking forward to joining staff on a Disability Awareness training day. It will be a very long time before all stations are accessible to all people, but it is good to hear that these issues are taken seriously.
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Addressing railway users' complaints
Sometimes I use my own experiences to highlight inadequacies in the service.
For instance, and I am sure this will ring a bell with many people, a disastrous attempt to travel to Rochester one weekend, led to a three hour visit to the Customer Services Department where I learnt some of the problems of providing accurate information about weekend engineering.
It also led to a link being provided on the Southeastern Rail home page that takes you straight into weekend engineering information.
I was also able to highlight how the posters at the stations could be misinterpreted and some changes were made. I have in the past received some very bland responses to complaints I have made, and I was shown a new format for responses which it is hoped will address complaints more directly. A visit to the control room allowed me to see the very good quality CTV that is now on many stations.
There are now Service Quality Auditors who do unannounced checks on stations and trains. I spent a morning at Bromley South station with one of these Auditors. They check for cleanliness, litter, information, etc.
You may have noticed the big white discs that have appeared on most platforms with a green button for information and a blue one for assistance. It was reassuring to know that one of the Auditors’ jobs is to ensure these are working properly. They also check that the loops for people with hearing impairment are working properly in ticket and information offices.
Some problems cannot be addressed directly by Southeastern as the responsibility lies with Network Rail. For instance the inaccessibility of Bromley South Station has been considered – it is one of the fiftieth busiest stations in the country but this is mainly a matter for Network Rail.
It has been an interesting year on the Board. Suggestions and comments that have been made have quite literally been taken “on board”. This is an unpaid post and the reward is to feel things are getting better. However, there are some perks – such as attending the opening of the new Depot at Ashford International for the new highspeed Hitachi train. Although it was stationary at the time, it was still a thrill to go into the driver’s cabin and see the wonderful view the drivers get when speeding through the countryside.
Belinda Price
For more information visit www.southeasternrailways.co.uk
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