T
he planning stage of a redevelopment is the key opportunity to look at improving queue management and customer flow - both vitally
important aspects of a successful transport hub When train stations were first built, travelling by train was the pursuit of the wealthy. The customer demanded a certain level of grandeur and luxury in their surroundings. Now, with millions of people passing through our stations on a daily basis, luxury and grandeur have given over to functionality, ease of crowd movement and customer satisfaction as considerations that should be at the forefront of a station planner’s mind. Standards set by the government dictate the amount of time it should take to process a passenger, from an individual entering the station, purchasing a ticket and finally boarding their train. Station operators must make ‘reasonable endeavours’ such that nobody queues for more than five minutes during peak periods and three minutes during off-peak periods. With rail fares increasing 20 per cent faster than wages, customers are not only expecting a more efficient and regular rail service for their money, but also a better experience within stations. This can be achieved by putting queue management, and hence greater customer satisfaction, at the heart of station planning.
Overcoming building constraints If a customer journey specialist is involved early on in the process of a station redevelopment, they can advise on many different ways to improve queuing time. The location of ticket offices, entrances and exits, retail units, taxi ranks, toilets and information points all play a part in how people move around a station.
During a redevelopment, one of the biggest challenges faced by customer flow planners can be the building itself. Many stations are listed buildings, and as such there are constraints upon which products and systems can be installed.
Surface fixed barriers are a popular solution in transport hubs other than train stations, as they allow for clear and concise queues to be formed. However, these barriers are physically attached to floors and walls, requiring alterations to the station’s aesthetic. This is something that is very difficult to do within a listed building, often leading to alternative
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products being sourced. While this may seem like a stumbling block, it can open up the possibility of creating a truly flexible queue management system.
Retractable, freestanding barriers provide an adaptable queuing system for customers to follow. Since the barriers are not permanently attached to a fixture, they are flexible and allow for quick and easy alterations to the queuing system, as and when passenger numbers rise or fall.
Rail station rush hour like no other hub In comparison to other transport hubs, railway stations experience the extremes of rush hour like no other. The volume of passengers increases dramatically at peak times, which can change in a matter of minutes. Queuing systems have to be designed so that they are easy to use and navigate when passenger numbers are low, but during busy periods must be able to cope with the sudden influx of people. For example, peak-times should involve all ticket desks dealing with all services; they should be fed by an electronic call forward system and single line queue, which is the quickest and most efficient strategy for processing people. In contrast, during quieter periods, changing to a shorter, multi-line system, with individuals queuing for specific enquiries, reduces the average wait time as
customers are able to go directly to a cashier. The way that queuing systems are displayed and made apparent to the customer should also be considered. There is little point investing in a customer flow system if people are not aware of what they are waiting for and where the queue should begin.
Queuing system for Oyster card Customer journey and queue management specialist Tensator recently completed a project for London Victoria station, providing a queuing system specifically designed for customers travelling with an Oyster card. In this case, it was important to appropriately label the products so that customers did not waste time waiting for an incorrect service. Branded webbing between freestanding posts displayed the Oyster Card logo, and signs sitting on top of the posts provided specific information, ensuring only the correct customers moved through the queuing system.
By reducing waiting times and speeding up queue flow, this queue management strategy helps stations meet the all-important government targets they face.
Embracing technology
In addition to traditional methods of controlling customer flow, there are a number of new technologies and systems that can be
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