Rail travel
ranging from long-distance cross-country journeys to commuter networks to airport shuttle services – and the product is variously referred to as first class, business class, business zones or even premium economy service. Southern, for example, which operates
SURVEY SHOWS THE UPSIDE OF TRAIN TRAVEL
MANY business travellers are choosing to travel by train not only because it can be quicker and more cost effective but because they can be more productive, network with others, impress their boss and climb the career ladder. New research by CrossCounty reveals that over half (56 per
cent) of business travellers surveyed choose to travel by train because it’s quicker than other forms of travel, followed by one in fi ve (21 per cent) saying that it’s more cost effective. When it comes to putting the journey time to good use, over a third of respondents (34 per cent) say they look for opportunities to link up with others and have done some of their best networking while on board. Interestingly, there is a divide between the sexes when it comes to networking. Over a third of men surveyed (34 per
cent) say they have swapped business cards or contact details with someone they met on a train, compared to just one in fi ve (20 per cent) women. However, female respondents outnumbered their male counterparts when it came to using their journey time to get ahead in their careers – almost one in ten (nine per cent) have secured a new job or earned a promotion on board compared to just four per cent of men. Productivity is key for business travellers, with 43 per cent
saying that travelling by train allows them to concentrate, catch up on tasks and respond to emails. Watch out for the 61 per cent who said they would listen in if they heard a fellow passenger talking about confi dential or private business on board. Only seven per cent of those surveyed said they would tell the person they could clearly hear the conversation.
mostly short journeys to/from London and across Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire – some of them among the busiest commuter routes in the country – operates six different types of train, three of which are standard class only. First class varies across the others, sometimes separated from standard class by doors and sometimes including power points. It does not, however, offer wifi access which is now a key commodity for business travellers on longer journeys, despite variable quality. Free wifi, enhanced seating and some sort of inclusive catering are the backbone of premium rail travel on longer journeys. Chiltern Railways' business zone passengers, for example, enjoy "the biggest seat available between the Midlands and London", free wifi access, ➔
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