Rail industry needs to enhance stranded train response, says ORR report

Credit: Office of Rail and Road

The rail industry’s plans for addressing stranded trains incidents must prioritize the safety, welfare, and customer experience of passengers, particularly those with disabilities and additional needs, according to a report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and Transport Focus.

The report, commissioned by the regulator and transport watchdog, examined four stranded trains incidents in December 2023. It included a thorough review of existing policies and procedures, along with interviews with passengers involved. Key findings highlight the need for improvements:

• Procedure awareness and implementation: While industry research on passenger behaviour in stranded train incidents is robust, and effective guidance has been developed, these are not always fully incorporated into procedures or followed in practice. Passengers reported feeling that procedures existed, but staff were not familiar with them. One passenger noted, “There were procedures in place, but no one really knew what they were.”
• Timely recovery plans: Recovery plans must be created and implemented more quickly, especially when a train loses power. Once a train’s batteries are exhausted, passengers may be left without lighting, air conditioning, heating, or working toilets, leading to distress or panic. One passenger shared, “It was actually really hot and (…) because the power went off, obviously there was no sort of air flowing through the train at all.”
• Support for onward journeys: After evacuation, passengers need greater support for their onward journey. One passenger recounted, “I was literally left in a place in London I don’t know, on my own as a woman, and my battery was almost dead. (…) I was panicking about how I was going to get home.”
• Staff training: While staff were often praised for being helpful, the report calls for more training to ensure passenger safety, welfare and experience are prioritised during and after a stranded train incident. The report also recommends appointing a senior manager as a Stranded Train Champion to oversee these situations.

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ORR and Transport Focus plan to bring together rail operators and Network Rail later in 2024 to follow up on the implementation of recommendations to drive improvements and ensure consistent application.

The regulator has raised concerns over the health, safety and welfare of passengers on stranded trains and has asked rail companies for assurance that simulation exercises are part of emergency planning for such incidents.

Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform at ORR, said: “Being stranded on a train for a lengthy period of time is thankfully rare, but when it does happen, rail operators and Network Rail need to work together quickly to assess the situation from a passenger perspective and create a workable plan to safely manage the situation. This plan must assess the conditions on the train, the specific welfare needs of all passengers on-board and the previous experience of public behaviour during such incidents.”

Natasha Grice, Director at Transport Focus, said: “Passengers can reasonably expect that the rail industry responds faster and more effectively to stranded trains situations. The railway’s responsibility to passengers doesn’t end when they eventually get off a stranded train. The industry must up its game to ensure passengers are properly looked after even once they are rescued, including onward travel and where needed hotels.”