Research and analysis

Rail strikes: understanding the impact on passengers

Findings from a survey investigating the impacts of strike action in 2022 on rail passengers in England.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Reports showing the results of research investigating the overall impact of 2022 strike action on rail passengers across the English rail network.

The reports present evidence on changes to:

  • rail passengers’ travel behaviours in response to rail strikes
  • related impacts on rail passengers’ social, economic, and personal lives

This research used an on-train self-completion survey methodology and 17,383 responses were collected across 4 phases of fieldwork between July and October 2022. Each phase of research took place in the weeks following a period of strike action.

The questionnaire supplied is the version used in phase 1 of the fieldwork. Other questionnaires, from other phases of fieldwork, had different reference week dates for the questions asking about the weeks in which strikes took place.

The summary finding report was published in February 2023. The full finding and technical reports were published in April 2023.

Published 20 February 2023
Last updated 14 April 2023 + show all updates
  1. Addition of final and technical reports along with example questionnaire published. Correction to table 1 in summary report: amended to 'Sat' instead of 'Fri'.

  2. First published.