I am a member of the Train Disruption Panel and have just received this:

"Dear Passenger,

Southern and Gatwick Express disruption reports

I'd like to thank all of the passengers from the panel who have taken the time and trouble to complete reports and share experiences of disruption, the positive and negative aspects of the service that was experienced and suggestions about how the disruption could have been better handled.

Clear messages

I've been reading the reports with interest and note that there are some consistent themes and very clear messages coming out from the reports. It is obvious that passengers want the train operator to:

* acknowledge that there is a delay occurring
* apologise for the inconvenience to passengers
* explain what the reason for the delay is (or at least state if this is unknown at the time)
* provide passengers with information about how long the delay is anticipated to be and what options and alternatives might be available (for example, leave the train and use the underground service).

Working with Southern to drive improvements

Earlier this month I met with Southern's passenger services manager (PSM) and together we went through a large batch of the reports. We had a detailed discussion of the points that passengers have fed back and she has agreed to consider how some of these issues can be addressed.

The PSM is now receiving direct on a weekly basis each and every report we receive from passengers. She has agreed to pass on specific information to relevant members of other teams to ensure the messages are spread widely and the passenger perspective is understood by all involved in delivering the train service.

On a monthly basis I will use the panel reports to provide Southern with a summary highlighting the key issues and the positive and negative experiences passengers have had. This report will also identify the suggestions from passengers about what would improve their experience when journeys are delayed. This latter point is very important and I'd encourage panel members to make as many suggestions for improvements as they can think of.

I've made a number of specific comments in relation to the feedback we have received. Firstly, I've suggested that even when a delay is under five minutes (technically still 'on-time' in the industry's approach to time-keeping!) an announcement and apology should still be given. Another suggestion is for Southern to announce the 'Delay- Repay' scheme when any journey is delayed by over 30 minutes, as this is when the trigger for automatic entitlement to refunds begins. I've also asked that, in these circumstances, Southern make the forms easily available at stations and, ideally, on trains, although it is also possible to apply for refunds online.

Over the coming months I will be paying close attention to Southern's performance and how it deals with disruption, particularly in terms of the communication with, and information provided to, passengers. I'll be meeting regularly with the PSM but will also have this as a standing item on the agenda for my quarterly meetings with the managing director and franchise improvement director.

Your input

In the meantime, please keep completing and sending in the disruption reports, giving as many clear ideas for improvement as possible. I also encourage everyone to claim for refunds if and when a 30 minute delay is experienced.

I shall provide a further update in a few months and hope that there will be some positive actions and improvements within Southern to report.

Best wishes

Sharon Hedges

Passenger Manager

Please note that disruption reports shared with Train Operating Companies do not identify individual panel members or include any personal details of any panellists registered."

This shows that submitting the reports does have an impact. If you are not a member yet join here:
https://iaf.ipsos.ca/iaf/passenger/passe...ption.html