Anthony Smith interviewed by Chris Kinchin-Smith

Made:
2019-06-13 in London
maker:
Chris Kinchin-Smith

Oral history interview with Anthony Smith, conducted and recorded by Chris Kinchin-Smith at the interviewee's office in Transport Focus office, London on 13 June 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 16 min. 49 sec. Early career; joining Central Rail Users’ Consultative Committee (CRUCC); training from Which? Magazine; Consumers International; evolution of passenger consultative committees; relationships; Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); Chris Austin; Alistair Moreton; Richard Bowker; passenger perceptions of privatised train operating companies (TOCs); lack of evidence base; National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS); Rail Passenger’s Council (RPC) evolved into Passenger Focus; evolution of franchising model; meeting passenger needs; research before each new franchise; growth in passenger numbers; submissions to Williams Review; passenger satisfaction drivers; importance of punctuality and reliability; passenger views on industry structure; success of privatisation for passengers; Transport for London (TfL); achievements; passenger voice embedded in franchising process; penalty fares processes improved; environmental concerns effects; importance of staffing; British Rail (BR) management training quality

One of over 150 oral history recordings made as part of the Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) archive project. BRAC was set-up to cover gaps in documenting the railway privatisation process in the United Kingdom, between 1994 and 1997, when the government-owned British Rail was dismantled into over 100 privately-owned companies. The interviews capture the recollections of people involved in the planning and implementation of the privatisation process, the management of change and running the railway during privatisation.

Details

Category:
Oral Histories
Collection:
Britain's Railways All Change
Object Number:
2021-591
type:
oral history interview
credit:
Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) oral history archive, created in partnership with the Friends of the National Railway Museum, the Retired Railway Officers’ Society and the National Railway Museum.