With the mission statement to offer “a safe, reliable, welcoming, value for money service,” Chiltern Railways will be launching a number of new products in 2008
Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Paul Radbourne
With such a clear and precise mission statement, Chiltern Railways is a company very much focused on offering its passengers the very best in customer service. Peter Owen, the company’s marketing director, and Emma Gascoigne, public relations executive, tell Exec about Chiltern Railways’ new developments.
The company is currently in the process of being acquired by Deutsche Bahn, the largest rail operator in Europe. Completion of the buyout is due to come in mid-March and will offer one of the smallest rail operators in Europe more stability in terms of finances and ownership. This stability will be maintained by the retention of existing staff: “[Deutsche Bahn] have said that they want the current management to continue and they look forward to the further development of Chiltern Railways in the UK,” Owen explains.
Since the railways were privatised in the 1990s, UK rail operations have grown faster than any other in Europe and Owen proudly points out that Chiltern Railways is the fastest growing rail operator in the market. He attributes this growth to the simple philosophy of its mission statement: “We are determined to make sure that everything we do supports that mission statement,” he says. “Our business is going to prosper because customers will want to use us repeatedly and recommend the service to other people.”
Improved service
In order to consistently offer its customer the best service, Chiltern Railways has launched a number of services to help passengers. “We operate in a very prosperous area with a high level of car ownership,” the marketing director says, which means that Chiltern Railways has made its focus getting people out of their cars. As part of this aim, the company is expanding its car parks as well as encouraging car-sharing schemes. Its new website is home to a car sharing area, which encourages passengers to be greener and save money; if a car is shared between three passengers, parking is free. Additionally, there are attendants to monitor the car park and ensure there is someone available to help should passengers return late at night.
The company is also looking to improve the way in which tickets are purchased, with a focus on innovative new systems. “Britain is actually leading the world in terms of mobile phone ticketing technology,” Owen says. This new technology enables passengers to register their mobile phone on a website, and then have a digital ticket delivered to that phone. “When you get onto the train,” he continues, “your ticket will be checked on the coach by a mobile barcode reader, and at Marylebone station we have got ticket gates which can be opened by literally waving your mobile phone at the ticket gates.”
Another pilot scheme is also being run whereby tickets can be ordered over and delivered to a mobile phone. The company is the first in the UK to have developed a secure credit card-mobile phone transaction system, which has been tested by the United States Encryption Service and British Telecoms’ laboratories.
“99 percent of passengers have said that they would recommend it to a friend,” Gascoigne adds, which means that both schemes look to be a success when they are extended to cover all of Chiltern’s ticket types. “There is a lot that needs to be done, but we’re really proud to say that it is working and that Chiltern is in the lead in making that happen,” Owen says.
Online presence
Both Owen and Gascoigne were keen to explain that the recently launched website has numerous other facilities, including a journey check page, where passengers can check their trains and print out personalised timetables. The new Nomad software, available to download to a Java-enabled mobile phone from the Chiltern Railways website, allows passengers to register which trains they are interested in so that they receive up-to-date information when they are on the move.
“There are a lot of new things on the website,” Owen says. “There is a database powered by Visit Britain and it has a ‘what’s on in your area’. If you go to the ‘My Stations’ area you will find out about all sorts of entertaining things that are happening.” He goes on to explain that Chiltern Railways travel through some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK to some exciting destinations, including London, Birmingham, Warwick and Leamington Spa.
Faster service
729 people currently work for the “very hands-on” rail operator, and the company is focused on increasing the number of customer facing roles within the company. The business is certainly focused on offering the best service and Chiltern Railways is keen to offer training where required. “Our staff are knowledgeable in the way that things work and are confident in the way they can deliver it and inspire our customers, which means repeat business,” Owen explains, and this is certainly reflected in passenger numbers.
In order to cope with increased use of its lines, Chiltern Railways has invested in the development and growth of its fleet of rolling stock. When the company was set up in 1996 a fleet of new trains was purchased in order to offer its customers the best service. Owen explains that its eleven year old long-distance trains have just been refurbished, in order to offer comfort for passengers.
“We’ve got plans to add to our rolling stock too; these trains will be built and delivered within the next two years,” the Owen says. These trains will look very similar to its original fleet but, with the advantage of more than ten years in the business, Chiltern Railways has become very involved in the design of these trains. “They will be able to go faster from place to place, therefore you will be able to get an improvement in the timetable, which will improve capacity on the railway as a whole,” he adds.
“Another reason why Chiltern is so successful is because our rolling stock timetables are designed to allow us to match the trains that we put in place with the number of people that we’re expecting to show up for that train,” Owen explains. As such, Chiltern Railways are happy to alter the number of carriages on each service depending on the expected number of passengers and distribute its human and engineering resources as effectively as possible.
With so many developments in improving customer service and offering passengers the best, it is little wonder that the company won the Passenger Operator of the Year Award at the National Rail Awards in 2007. The company is firmly focused on maintaining this performance going forward, and with a buyout and new software in the pipeline it is easy to see how.
Click here to view the corporate brochure on Chiltern Railways