A new study from the United Kingdom found that the ability to multitask attracts riders to intercity and commuter rail more than we had thought.
A survey of commuters on two Chiltern Railway lines – one going between London and Birmingham, and the other between London and a suburban town – found that more than half of commuters on the former line and just under a quarter on the latter considered their train ride to be productive time.
Stable WiFi access was integral for riders to work on the train. Twenty percent of passengers on the intercity line listed free WiFi as the “main reason to travel by train; connectivity coupled with time use makes rail travel attractive,” according to researchers at the University of West England.
What’s key: free wifi can’t exist in a vacuum. Riders need reliable seats, tables, and electric outlets in order to use their commuting time productively, according to the report.
Lead researcher Dr. Juliet Jain is using these results to petition for commute time to be counted as working hours.
Photo by Sam Kittner for Mobility Lab.