Travelling by train will increase productivity, claims Chiltern
RESEARCH by Chiltern Railways – which runs train services between Birmingham and London – reveals that business travel train users are more than three times more productive than drivers during working hours.
Its research – based on a survey of 1025 business travellers – shows six out of ten train travellers work during business hours when facilities such as wifi and power points are available in their carriage. However, just two out of ten car drivers work whilst travelling during business hours .
On the back of the research, Chiltern Railways is urging companies to ensure business travellers take the train where viable to improve productivity. It
believes there is scope to increase productivity by a further 40% across the board through clearer employee working when travelling policies.
The survey shows that 40% of all business journeys are by car and only 15% by train.
Thomas Ableman, director of Chiltern Railways, said: “Most businesses are looking to make savings in 2012 and may not be considering the gains that can be made by reclaiming lost productivity. If employees are travelling by car for business then you are losing out on performance. Our research shows this impacts on the bottom line.
“Companies can make significant savings simply by looking at their corporate business travel and being savvier with their ‘travelnomics’. We believe that ultimately, employers must make it unacceptable to travel by car for business when the train is a viable option. 2012 is the year for businesses to sharpen up to the cost efficiencies of train travel.”
Richard Butler, regional director of West Midlands and Oxfordshire CBI, said: “This survey demonstrates the core reason why more and more businesses are seeing the benefits of travelling by train. A productive, cost effective and more environmentally friendly solution can only be good for our businesses.”
