Bridging the public transport accessibility gap for greater customer confidence

Helping Passenger Assist into the next phase of a better, simpler, and more inclusive railway

There are 16 million disabled people in the UK. Meaning that 24% of the population might face physical or cognitive barriers that prevent them from using the rail network. In fact, according to the Department for Education, people with mobility impairments made 2.5 fewer trips by train, which could go on to affect their ability to access other services like education or healthcare, as well as employment opportunities or leisure activities. A more accessible rail network can address these gaps and achieve a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable society. Passenger Assist (PA) – a service provided by Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to customers who require assistance with any part of their journey – is probably the industry’s most powerful lever to counter this. Having worked with Rail Delivery Group, TOCs and PA from the outset, we were perfectly positioned to help progress the improvement programme.

The challenge:

We had to develop and secure approval for a Business Case that would:

• Provide a clear roadmap for transformation
• Build the strategic vision and stakeholder methodology required to align stakeholders, including TOCs, regulators, government, and passenger advocacy groups
• Navigate a highly fragmented governance structure to achieve buy-in and approval from senior decision-makers, including the Minister of State
• Ensure readiness for implementation, including a Target Operating Model (TOM), a new service development lifecycle (SDLC) and supporting readiness/training processes

The solution:

A team, with extensive experience in strategy, complex stakeholder management and public policy development, worked with a wide range of stakeholders to understand the root cause and capture the vision and ambition in a robust business case to secure funding. We implemented a multi-layered approach to support the client in building this business case and ensuring endorsement and approval, by:

• Developing multiple roadmap options using robust prioritisation and evaluation methodology
• Building a business case that provided decision-makers with a clear rationale for funding
• Navigating governance to ensure approval
• Defined new team structures, cultural alignment and training efforts to support implementation readiness

This piece of work was carried out by Cadence Innova before merger. We're honoured to continue this impactful work under the Transform brand going forward.