In 2022, RiDC was asked by Network Rail to carry out mystery shopping at 20 of the train stations it manages across the UK.
Network Rail wanted to improve its facilities and services for disabled and older passengers. Since then, RiDC consumer panel members have made 1,000 journeys through these stations.
Although the work with Network Rail is ongoing, the feedback from panel members has already informed a number of changes.
Wayfinding
50% of the mystery shoppers found the station they audited 'Difficult to navigate'. In response, Network Rail is introducing:
Good maps: A partnership with Good Maps, a digital indoor mapping tool, will provide passengers with in-station navigation across all of Network Rail’s managed stations
Interactive maps: Online maps of each of Network Rail’s stations allow travellers to view a station’s layout and features such as shops, toilets and information points, so they can feel more confident when they visit. To view an interactive map, please click here .
Accessibility
Our panel members’ experiences have prompted a range of measures to improve accessibility. These include:
Addressing sensory overload
59% of the disabled auditors found the station they visited 'Overwhelming' during the most recent mystery shopping visits (which ran from April to September 2024).
At London’s Waterloo station, changes such as promoting quieter times for travel, offering quiet waiting areas and providing an online video tour to help passengers anticipate the sights and sounds they can expect, received an award from the National Autistic Society. Network Rail hopes to roll these changes our across more of its stations.
To read more about the award, please click here
Assistance
In the most recent wave of mystery shops, 80% of auditors said that staff understood
their assistance needs 'Fairly' or 'Very well'. However, when asked how their experience could be improved, 14% mentioned 'more disability awareness' in relation to staff interactions.
In response, Network Rail has:
- Introduced training videos featuring six disabled rail users with different access needs, to educate all staff on appropriate language to use
- Provided staff with specific training on how to support people with Autism and other neurodivergent conditions in association with the 'Autism Friendly Award' described above.
Accessibility for passengers with hearing loss
Network Rail has also introduced BSL touch screens featuring the latest travel advice and updates, at 19 of its stations.
To read more about this development, please click here.
Changes to Facilities
75% of auditors found station facilities, including toilets, waiting rooms and information screens, to be 'Very' or 'Fairly good'.
Network Rail is continuing to improve the accessibility of its facilities, with an example being a new passenger assist waiting lounge at Liverpool Lime Street station. This lounge will be a quiet space for passengers with mobility and sensory needs, with dedicated staff members available to offer support.
Other stations such as Leeds and London Kings Cross are also looking to redevelop their waiting lounges to ensure disabled customers have better access to station facilities.
For more information about these developments, please click here.
Natasha Marsay, Accessibility and Integration Manager at Network Rail, said;
“Working with RIDC has given us greater visibility of the experiences our customers are having whilst traveling through our stations. The responses we have received have been invaluable and given us the evidence to support making vital changes at stations to enhance accessibility. We are committed to providing inclusive services and spaces for our customers and continually strive to improve where needed.
“Having this access to feedback is enabling us to gain fantastic actionable insight.”
Making London’s busiest station more accessible
In addition to mystery shopping, RiDC carried out separate research for Network Rail to understand how London's busiest station, Liverpool Street, could be made more accessible for disabled people.
The research found that disabled passengers want more accessible facilities including lifts, disabled toilets, a Changing Places toilet and quiet room for people with sensory needs.
As a result, Network Rail has announced a raft of changes, including:
- Increasing the size of the concourse to ease congestion
- Step-free access across the station and London Underground
- Seven new lifts and four more escalators to make platforms more accessible
- More ticket barriers to reduce queues
- New toilets, including family facilities on all levels of the station
- New landmark entrances
- Additional waiting lounges
- Better signage throughout the station
For more information about the planned changes to London Liverpool Street, please click here.
Natasha added:
“Working with RIDC has been transformative for us."
"The ethical and respectful way they work with participants was a key driver for us and we hear nothing but praise for the way surveys are carried out and customers are treated.
"We want to ensure that voices of disabled people are at the heart of change at network rail and RIDC have enabled us to do this seamlessly.”
Over to you
Network Rail would like to hear your thoughts about the redevelopments at London Liverpool Street station. To help shape their plans for the renovation and have your say, please visit Network Rail's website.
