So-long good service

With Mary ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas recently starting her revolution of the retail industry in the style of Jamie Oliver (Channel 4), and Michel Roux training young adults in restaurant service (BBC2), I’ve been thinking a lot about customer service.  One of the many frustrating aspects of unemployment is seeing people in work who clearly do not appreciate their responsibility, showing no interest in what they are doing, who they are doing it for; and yet they go home happy with a pocketful of money and a sense of security. 

Last week it was announced that the direct train running from Wrexham to London Marylebone was to cease.  Beginning in 2008, the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Rail (WSMR) carriages called at ten stations, taking slightly longer than other lines but allowing the passenger a stress-free journey without worrying about making any connections (which in my experience of countless delays is a very good thing).  Old-fashioned carriages, with plenty of space between seats, and old-fashioned friendliness to match made this a service to rival.  Yet it was suddenly revealed that it could not continue due to a loss of £2.8m last year due to poor customer numbers.  The BBC reported that in an independent survey, WSMR received a 99% satisfaction rating – if only more people had used it more often.  

I never hesitated to recommend the service to others, each journey being the most pleasant British rail experience my short life has known.  A far cry from the crowded carriages, miserable conductors and smelly vestibules that so many other rail companies seem to thrive on, WSMR offered a sterling service.    Each and every conductor I came across was friendly and welcoming, and more than happy to answer passengers’ queries, passing through the carriages on a regular basis bearing one of those rare and beautiful treasures...a smile on their face. 

I had a fondness for this service for other reasons too.  Most conveniently it called at Leamington Spa, where I lived whilst at university, and offered a direct line home to my village train station, a mere ten minute walk from my house.  Given the choice, I opted for this slightly longer direct service every time as it was actually a pleasant experience: words I cannot apply to many other journeys taken on British railways.  They’re not all bad of course, I thoroughly enjoy travelling by train, and seeing Michael Portillo traverse the tracks in his Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 6.30pm) only reminds me of how spectacular some of the views from the lines in this country are.  What frustrates me is that the beauty of the vistas and of the railways themselves is being overshadowed far too often by poor service, delayed or cancelled trains and extortionate prices.  And the really sad thing is that services like that of WSMR, which succeed in avoiding all of these problems and providing a first class experience, simply cannot survive in the modern world.