A service design vision for air-rail journeys

Abstract

Concerns regarding the environmental impact of the aviation sector areincreasing. Especially short distance flights within Europe are criticized,since these itineraries could be replaced by more sustainable alternatives,namely international trains. More specifically, international trains combinedwith long distance flights, the air-rail journey, could be a sustainablealternative for the multi-leg flight. This graduation project explores whatis needed to make a shift from multi-leg flights to air-rail journeys withinEurope in 2030.The project is executed within the Seamless Personal Mobility Lab.Partners of the project are NS International, Schiphol Group, KLM RoyalDutch Airlines and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water management.The stakeholders are involved during the entire project. Above all, theproject took an use-centered approach, which means that the user’sperspective is leading. The project explores how the future air-rail journeycould truly address the needs and wishes of the international air-railtraveller.The goal of the project is to create a design vision for air-rail journeys, thatfacilitates in creating a seamless travel experience between planes andinternational trains within Europe. To create this design vision, researchregarding the rationale, steps & patterns, users and stakeholders isconducted. This creates understanding of the needs, wishes and currentproblems surrounding air-rail journeys.Based upon the user research, the needs of international air-rail travellerscan be defined with the use of six need-based personas: The determinedsurvivor, the vulnerable rookie, the self-sufficient manager, the peacefulcollaborator, the spontaneous adventurer and the certainty seeker. heanalysis shows that international trains and flights are not well integrated,which makes the system hard to access, results in an incoherent serviceand creates an uncertain travel experience. This negatively influences thechoice for a more sustainable alternative than the air-air journey.Based upon the gathered insights, a design vision for future air-rail journeyis designed. First a concept vision is created, which is evaluated with usersand stakeholders. After that, the final service design vision of the AirRailAlliance is developed, based upon the gathered insights.The AirRail Alliance aims to unify air and rail, stimulates travellers to choosefor air-rail and assures them about and throughout the journey. By creatinga fair choice and providing a comfortable transfer and coherent services,the service aims to stimulate international air-rail travellers to choose forair-rail journeys instead of multi-leg flights. The AirRail alliance integratesservices, provides continuous guidance and manages disruptions over theentire journey. The traveller should experience this collaboration betweentrain operators and airlines, in the feeling of one coherent and unifiedjourney. Ultimately, continuous guidance, support and integrated disruptionmanagement should result in a feeling that nothing can go wrong, thefeeling of assurance.By implementing the service according to the strategic roadmap, anambitious scenario of substitution from air to rail can become reality in2030. This scenario will mean that around 12.000 air-rail travellers a daywill travel with the AirRail Alliance, which could lead to the substitution of63.000 flights on a yearly basis.