Rail strikes: understanding the impact on passengers – summary findings
Updated 14 April 2023
Applies to England
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Background and objectives
The Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned independent research agency Savanta to undertake a survey of the rail network in England. The aims of the project were to understand changes to rail passengers’ travel behaviours in response to rail strikes and to measure any related impacts on rail passengers’ social, economic, and personal lives.
In the weeks following rail strikes, fieldwork was conducted by intercepting passengers passengers aged 16 and over on trains and inviting them to complete an online or paper questionnaire. This approach was the most efficient, cost-effective, robust, and timely way of reaching rail users who may have been intending to travel on strike days and is an industry standard for surveys of this kind.
Passengers were asked about any journeys they were planning to make in a strike week, including days when there was no strike action on the network or on the train operator they were travelling with. Fieldwork dates are outlined in Table 1 below.
Sampling was designed to provide a representative sample of rail journeys rather than rail users, and to provide representative coverage of journeys on all Train Operating Companies (TOCs) in England with the exception of London Underground, London Overground, and the Elizabeth Line. In total, 17,383 questionnaires were completed across four phases of fieldwork between July and October 2022.
Table 1: Fieldwork dates[footnote 1]
| Phase | Fieldwork | Strike week referenced | Extent of disruption |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16/07/2022 - 26/07/2022 | w/c 20/06/2022 | 3 strike days (Tues, Thurs, Sat) |
| 2 | 01/08/2022 - 12/08/2022 | w/c 25/07/2022 | 2 strike days (Weds, Sat) |
| 3 | 22/08/2022 - 08/09/2022 | w/c 15/08/2022 | 2 strike days (Thurs, Sat) |
| 4 | 10/10/2022 - 23/10/2022 | w/c 03/10/2022 | 2 strike days (Weds, Sat) |
Sampling rail journeys rather than rail users makes it more likely that the sample captured frequent rail users than infrequent rail users who were planning to travel during a strike week.
Key findings
Overall impact on passenger journeys
Just over half of respondents to the survey (52%) had planned to make a rail journey during a strike week[footnote 2]. Twenty nine per cent had planned to make at least one commuting journey to/from work, 17% had planned to make a leisure journey, 4% had planned to commute to/from education, 3% had planned to make a business journey and 1% had planned to make a journey for a healthcare appointment.
Forty two per cent of all respondents, and the majority (81%) of those who had intended to travel by rail during a strike week had their journey(s) impacted in some way. Half (51%) of those who had planned to make journeys by rail made none of their planned rail journeys during the week when strikes took place. Twenty one per cent of those who had planned to make journeys reduced the number of rail journeys they made and 9% travelled on a different day.
Overall impacts on rail passengers’ work, social and home lives
Respondents to the survey were asked whether they had experienced a range of impacts on their work, social and home lives as a direct result of the strikes. Amongst all respondents, 45% explicitly reported having experienced none of the impacts listed. Of those who had planned to travel during the strike week, just under a quarter (24%) did not experience any of the impacts listed.
The most commonly reported impacts were on work and working arrangements (29% of all respondents and 47% of those who had planned to travel during a strike week), followed by disruption to social plans or time with family (17% of all respondents and 27% of those who had planned to travel during a strike week). Impacts on education (3% of all respondents and 5% who had planned to travel during a strike week) and on health, care and caring responsibilities (including childcare arrangements: 2% of all respondents 4% of those who had planned to travel during a strike week) were reported by a small percentage of respondents.
Chart 1: Impact categories of strikes amongst all respondents[footnote 3]
| Impact category | |
|---|---|
| Did not experience any listed impact | 45% |
| Work impact | 29% |
| Social impact | 17% |
| Education impact | 3% |
| Health/social care impact | 2% |
D1. Please indicate if any of the following were true on any day as a direct result of the strikes that week. Options aggregated into work, social, educational, and health and care categories. BASE All respondents (17,383).
Impacts on work
At least one impact on work or working arrangements was reported by 29% of all respondents, and 47% of those who had planned to travel during a strike week. Amongst those who had planned to commute to/from work by rail during a strike week, 70% reported a work-related impact. A breakdown of the percentages experiencing different types of work impact is given in Chart 2.
Chart 2: Impact of strikes on working patterns amongst all respondents and those who had planned to travel by rail
| Impacts | All respondents | All those planning to travel |
|---|---|---|
| Unable to get to place of work | 19% | 32% |
| Had to change my working hours | 7% | 12% |
| Had to work less than planned | 6% | 9% |
| Had to change my working days | 5% | 7% |
| Unable to work at all | 3% | 4% |
D1. Please indicate if any of the following were true on any day as a direct result of the strikes that week? BASE All respondents (17,383), and Respondents planning to travel by rail during a strike week (8,527). Multiple responses were allowed to this question.
The level of flexibility that individuals had in terms of working from home in some cases appears related to their ability to mitigate the impact of the strikes. Of those who had planned to commute during a strike week, and who never have the flexibility to work from home, 13% reported being unable to work at all, compared to 6% of all those who had planned to commute, and 1% of those who had planned to commute and who have the flexibility to work from home all of the time.
Impacts on education
At least one impact on planned study or study arrangements was reported by 3% of all respondents, 5% of those who had planned to travel in a strike week, and 47% of those who had planned to travel for education. Impacts included being unable to get to a place of education, being unable to study at all, studying less than planned, changing study hours or days and being unable to sit an exam.
Those who had planned to travel to/from a place of education were the group that most commonly continued to make all of their planned rail journeys on the days they were planning to, in spite of strike action. Amongst those who had planned to travel for education 20% made all of the rail journeys they were planning to (compared to 13% of those commuting to/from work). Twenty five per cent of those who had planned to travel for education purposes said that making alternative arrangements as a result of strikes was already not feasible, compared to 20% of those who had planned to commute to/from work, and 18% who had planned to travel for any purpose.
Impact on business meetings
Five per cent of all respondents and 8% of those who had planned to travel during a strike week reported being unable to get to a business meeting. Amongst all respondents who had planned to travel for business, 32% reported being unable to get to a business meeting.
Those who had planned to make business journeys in a strike week were more likely to switch to travel by car, motorbike or van than those who had planned to make commuting journeys to/from work. Twenty four per cent of those who had planned to make business journeys made one or more of their journeys by car, motorbike or van, compared to 16% of those who had planned to commute to/from work.
Social impacts
As a result of the strikes, 17% of all respondents and 27% of all those who had planned to travel had to cancel/re-arrange social plans or spend less time with their family/friends, or both. Respondents with certain disabilities (Table 1) and younger respondents (Chart 3) were more likely to report that the strikes impacted on their social plans.
Table 2: Impact on social activities by disability type
| No disability | Learning | Memory | Mental health | Social | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I had to cancel/rearrange social plans | 13% | 26% | 27% | 22% | 21% |
| I had to spend less time with friends/family | 7% | 20% | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| BASE: All respondents | n=11661 | n=253 | n=141 | n=1263 | n=456 |
D1. Please indicate if any of the following were true on any day as a direct result of the strikes that week
Chart 3: Impact on social activities by age – % reporting impact
| Age | Cancel/rearrange social plans | Reduced time with friends/family |
|---|---|---|
| 16-17 (n=398) | 18% | 12% |
| 18-24 (n=2683) | 19% | 13% |
| 25-34 (n=3960) | 19% | 11% |
| 35-44 (n=2874) | 11% | 7% |
| 45-54 (n=2387) | 10% | 5% |
| 55-64 (n=2111) | 12% | 4% |
| 65-74 (n=1180) | 11% | 4% |
| 75+ (n=401) | 13% | 2% |
D1. Please indicate if any of the following were true on any day as a direct result of the strikes that week. BASE All respondents. Multiple responses were allowed to this question.
Health and care impacts
A small proportion of all respondents (1%) had planned to make journeys to healthcare appointments during the previous strike week. Reported impacts on access to health and social care are correspondingly low: 1% of all respondents had to cancel a healthcare appointment, 1% had to rearrange a healthcare appointment, and 1% were unable to undertake caring responsibilities.
Financial impacts
The survey also asked about financial losses and gains made by individuals because of the strikes. Fifty five per cent of all respondents reported no negative financial impact, and 60% reported no positive financial impact. Seventeen per cent of respondents reported at least one type of negative financial impact (personal loss of earnings, loss of business earnings, increased travel costs, additional childcare costs, other), and 9% of respondents reported at least one type of positive financial impact (saved on travel costs, saved on childcare costs, other). The main positive impact came from savings to travel costs, which was reported by 8% of respondents.
A higher percentage of rail passengers with a disability (at 8%) than those with no disability (at 6%) reported a loss of earnings due to the strike.
Alternative modes of transport
Some took alternative modes of transport during a strike week such as bus or coach (8% of those who had planned to make a rail journey), taxi/minicab (4%), or other forms of public transport (4%), while 2% cycled or walked. However, the largest proportion switched to private transport: car, motorcycle or van (13%).
Household income was related to the alternative modes of transport used, with those on lower incomes most likely to use bus or coach services instead of trains (13% of those who had planned to make a rail journey with household incomes £30,000 and under, compared to 5% with household incomes of over £30,000). Those on higher incomes were more likely to use a car, motorbike, or van as an alternative (10% of those who had planned to make a rail journey with household incomes of £30,000 and under travelled by car, motorbike, or van, compared to 15% with household incomes over £30,000).
Longer-term impacts of strike action
On expected longer term impacts of strike action, respondents reported that there would be a greater impact - or that they would experience more difficulty in dealing with the impact of strikes - the longer the strikes go on.
Almost a quarter (24%) of passengers who participated in the research agreed with the statement that they will no longer travel by train if the strikes continue for an extended period of time. This was most prevalent amongst frequent rail users, with 28% of those who travel 5 or more times a week by train agreeing. It should be noted that this represents claimed future behaviour and may not correspond to an actual change in behaviours of the same level. One in 7 passengers (14%) agreed with the statement that making alternative arrangements during the rail strikes was already not feasible.
Amongst all respondents, those from minority ethnic groups (17% compared to 13% for “white English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British), and those with mobility, memory, or learning disabilities (at 21% compared to 13% for those with no disability) were also more likely to report that making alternative arrangements was already not feasible.
For 18% of those who had planned to travel in a strike week, making alternative arrangements during the rail strikes was already not feasible. This varies according to planned journey purpose: 25% among those who had planned to travel for education in a strike week, 17% who had planned to travel for business, 20% who had planned to commute for work, 26% who had planned to travel for healthcare, and 17% who had planned to travel for leisure purposes.
Annex A
Comparison with data from ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN)
The ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (fieldwork periods 22 June to 3 July 2022, 3 to 14 August 2022, 21 December 2022 to 8 January 2023, and 11 to 22 January 2023) also includes a question module on impacts of rail strikes. The OPN and Rail Strikes: Understanding the Impact on Passengers differ in their methodologies. The OPN is a representative survey of around 2,500 GB adults (sample size varying by wave), mainly conducted online, while the DfT survey of 17,383 journeys was sampled to be representative of rail journeys in England (excluding London Underground, London Overground, and the Elizabeth Line).
Common themes emerged from both surveys: the largest impacts of rail strikes on respondents lives are on work and leisure, with a relatively small proportion of respondents reporting impacts on access to healthcare or education, which is consistent with the proportion of passengers travelling for those reasons.
A full report will be published in due course, with detailed chapters on different types of impact. Alongside the full report, a technical document will be published, detailing the full methodology and guidance on the interpretation of the results, including any limitations and caveats.
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The “extent of disruption column” includes days covering strikes on multiple TOCs and/or Network Rail for which there was widespread disruption (and does not include very localised single TOC disruption). ↩
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On planned journeys, participants were asked to think about “journeys you had planned before you were aware of the strike action, or would have made if there was no strike action”. Unless otherwise stated, “had planned to travel during a strike week” includes any journey purpose. Breakdowns by specific planned journey purpose are labelled by the specific purpose (such as “had planned to commute to/from work by rail during the strikes”). Respondents could enter “don’t know” for the planned journey purpose even if they responded saying they were planning to travel in a strike week, and so for those respondents we do not know for which purpose they planned to travel. The base sizes of “planned to travel” overall, and “planned to travel” for specific purposes are therefore different (that is, a slightly larger base for the overall group). ↩
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On the list of impacts to their lives, respondents were asked the following question:
D1: Please indicate if any of the following were true on any day as a direct results of the strikes that week.
01: I was unable to get to my place of work.
02: I was unable to work at all.
03: I had to work less than planned.
04: I had to change my working hours.
05: I had to change my working days.
06: I was unable to get to a business meeting(s).
07: I had to cancel/ re-arrange social plans.
08: I had to spend less time with friends/ family.
09: I was unable to get to my place of education.
10: I was unable to study at all.
11: I had to study less than planned.
12: I had to change my study hours.
13: I had to change my study days.
14: I was unable to sit an exam.
15: I was unable to get to a health appointment and so cancelled it.
16: I was unable to get to a health appointment and so re-scheduled it.
17: I was unable to access social care.
18: I was unable to undertake caring responsibilities.
19: I had to arrange alternative childcare.
20: None of the above.
21: Don’t know/ can’t remember. ↩