Performance indicator | Realisation in 2019 | Realisation in 2018 | Minimum value for 2019 | Target value for 2019 |
Information on the train and at stations about delays | 84.5% | 85.2% | 75.0% | 80.0% |
NS wants to give passengers more control over their door-to-door journeys and more freedom of choice, irrespective of the means of transport or the carrier. High-quality journey information plays a key role in this, especially when a disruption or other unexpected event changes the course of the journey. Journey information has to be accurate, frequent, in time, consistent and up-to-date so that passengers can make better choices both before and during the journey. Every year, NS sends hundreds of millions of travel advice messages about rail travel, works on the tracks and disruptions. In 2019, we gave timely information – on the train and at the station – about disruptions in 84.5% of cases (2018: 85.2%). In early 2019, NS and ProRail set up a team tasked with reducing the number of faults on station displays. By adjusting the software and ensuring better alignment and configuration of aerials, the team managed to reduce the number of faults by 90%. In addition, on-board staff use the PA system to make sure passengers are promptly informed whenever an unexpected disruption occurs.
XL displays at the stations
In December 2019 we installed an XL journey information display at Rotterdam CS. The 9.5 x 1.8 metre screen allows us and ProRail to show all departure times and travel advice in a single overview. Similar displays will be installed at Den Haag CS and Utrecht CS in 2020.
NS App upgrade
NS is continuously improving the journey planner on the NS App and on its website, www.ns.nl. On the app we have added extra routes and trains to the Zitplaatszoeker (seat searcher) and enhanced the TrajectBewaking (route monitor) function. The route monitor provides users with information about any disruptions on a pre-defined route. In addition, we have developed a type of travel advice that incorporates all travel modes that are available for a particular journey. As a result, passengers may sometimes be advised to take an underground train, a tram or a bus instead of a deviated train. By issuing proactive warnings and offering optimum travel advice covering all modes of travel, we allow passengers to take control of their journeys. In 2019, we ran a trial in Utrecht with platform displays showing information about the level of crowdedness in trains. The trial will be evaluated in 2020. This information is also becoming available for more and more routes in the NS App. This should result in more comfortable journeys by ensuring a more balanced distribution of passengers on busy trains.
Travel information during the train journey
Performance indicator | Realisation in 2019 | Realisation in 2018 | Minimum value for 2019 | Target value for 2019 |
Journey information during the train journey | 85.3% | 85.0% | 81.4% | 83.1% |
The ‘Travel information during the train journey’ performance indicator states whether the journey information provided five minutes before the actual departure of the train was correct in cases of delayed departure or a platform change. Our score for this indicator was 85.3% in 2019; 0.3% higher than in 2018. To optimise the information provided, we are continuously making small improvements to the underlying IT systems. In 2019, we developed a dashboard that allows us to monitor our performance on this indicator per individual station on a monthly basis and identify areas where the information should be improved. We share the dashboard with ProRail.