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09
March 2007
Dear Colleagues,
The results of our biannual Passenger’s Charter Monitor
were released today, although coverage has been a little swamped
by the election results. The research shows that passenger satisfaction
and service performance remain high for N I Railways, Ulsterbus
and Metro.
These results are good and show that our passengers like the
changes we have made to bus and rail services. They also show
that investment in public transport is paying off and your efforts
and commitment are recognized by passengers. This is a strong
message to bring to newly elected MLA’s - that Translink
is delivering its targets and demonstrating return for the investment
programme put in place at the time of the previous local Assembly.
But of course we cannot be complacent; punctuality of Metro services
- while remaining above a 5 year average - continues to cause
concern as running speeds are unpredictable due to the increasing
traffic congestion in Belfast, in particular from the ongoing
M1/Westlink road works.
The solution to this is more priority, not for buses but for
bus passengers! While the broader argument for sustainable transport
is being won we must work with partners such as Roads Service
to press the case for ‘on the ground’ improvements
and win the more local arguments as well.
Passenger numbers have grown on N I Railways, Metro, Goldline
and increasingly Ulsterbus as a result of investments and service
improvements and passenger satisfaction is high. But public transport
has a short shelf life and yesterday’s capacity, like
yesterday’s milk or newspapers, cannot be sold today. So,
day to day concentration on getting it right is important if
we are to maintain our performance and then improve things further
and deliver the new projects.
We now have a track record of success and our challenge is to
grow from this and turn Northern Ireland into a region renowned
for excellent public transport and environmental sustainability.
With your continuing commitment and professionalism we can do
just that.
Philip O'Neill
Acting Chief Executive
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Passenger satisfaction
