Rail passenger perceptions of risk and safety and priorities for improvement

Abstract

Recommendation 60 of the Ladbroke Grove rail inquiry stated that “comprehensive market research in regard to safety related measures should be carried out in order to take account of the views of informed passengers” (Cullen 2001, p. 235). In response, the Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited (RSSB) commissioned a survey of railway passengers nationwide, to investigate passenger perceptions of risk and safety at stations, on platforms and on trains, and to research passenger preferences for implementing safety interventions. Following qualitative interviews conducted with rail travellers, two separate questionnaires were designed and piloted. Each survey was administered face-to-face at 15 hub railway stations nationwide, according to a quota sample, and respondents were asked to return completed questionnaires by post. The overall response rate was approximately one-third. The results of the safety and risk survey provide a valuable indicator of passenger perceptions of risk, especially when compared to quantitative assessments of actual risk. The findings suggest that the relationship between perceived and actual risk is not particularly strong. The data from the passenger preferences questionnaire were analysed using conjoint techniques, and the results provide information on passenger preferences and priorities for improvement. The results are likely to be of value to the railway industry in allowing passenger preferences to be taken into account when implementing safety interventions.