Train Overcrowding: Investigation of the Provision of Better Information to Mitigate the Issues

Abstract

Crowded trains are a feature of many railway networks and adversely affect both train passengers and rail operators. For passengers, the lack of space or inability to get a seat can lead to a lack of physical comfort, reduced productivity, and increased stress. Crowded trains can also lead to problems boarding and alighting that increase dwell times and make it harder for operators to provide a reliable service. Reducing levels of crowding is therefore desirable, but achieving this goal by increasing capacity is not always practical, and other measures must be considered. Some passengers have shown willingness to change their behavior to avoid crowding—for example, by waiting for a later train—and measures to encourage such behavioral changes more widely could be beneficial overall. Better information provision could be one such measure, and so a stated preference survey was undertaken on a commuter and airport service to investigate this issue further. It was found that the provision of information about crowding levels and seating availability on alternative trains would encourage some passengers to wait for a less-crowded train. Although the willingness of passengers to wait for a later train varied by both the purpose of the trip and the station of origin, the findings suggest that real-time information would improve the passenger experience and could form the basis of a revenue-neutral demand-management system. The implications for station design are particularly pertinent for countries such as the United States, where significant investment in new passenger rail systems is expected.