RED 73 blog: Adopting a passenger-first approach to stranded trains incidents
As an industry we tend to think in terms of the train itself and not the people travelling on it. But it has become clear that to be stuck on a train, with little idea about when, or even if, it’s going to start moving again can be a very unpleasant. And that can be putting it very mildly indeed.
Officially, a passenger train is regarded as stranded if it has been, or is expected to be, stationary for 30 minutes or longer. The industry has been doing a lot of work to prevent, or better manage, stranded trains incidents. It’s getting new workstreams flowing as fast as we hope the trains will. RED 73 takes a good look at the results.
The Rail Delivery Group’s Dean Johnson talks us through newly updated guidance, ‘Meeting the Needs of Passengers Stranded on Trains’. Now, as the guidance shows, there’s a much greater focus on putting the passenger first, multi-agency collaboration, and training.
But what can cause a train to become stranded? There are many factors, from train failures to infrastructure failures. Sadly, sometimes a fatality can be the cause, too. The reason will always be a good one, but the risk to passengers can include increases in psychological stress, the risk of medical emergencies, and the risk of self-evacuation.
All these issues can worsen if the train is too warm or cold, experiences a power failure, has out-of-order toilets, or is overcrowded. And, of course, if there’s no information, passengers can lose confidence or, worse still, make incorrect assumptions based on inaccurate reports on social media.
RED 73 helps highlight our responsibilities in managing stranded train incidents, to help make sure people get where they need to be as quickly as it’s physically possible to get them there.
The two-part drama is based on real-life stranded train incidents, set in a non-electrified area. We’ve kept overhead or third-rail traction out of it to minimise the steps that need to be taken to stop the job. This set-up also puts more emphasis on the important part of the film: remembering that a stranded train is not about the train but rather the people stranded with it.
The first part of the drama depicts a scenario where the response is poorly managed. The second part illustrates a well-handled incident. When you watch, ask yourself and ask your colleagues what happened, what should have been done to prevent it, and what you would do differently.
