ASA Greenlights National Rail Network

The ASA has given The National Rail Network the green light and has dismissed complaints that an advertising campaign promoting a “fast and frequent” rail service was “misleading”.

Complainants objected to poster and national press adverts, which stated: “All Britain’s rail companies are working together to return you to fast and frequent services across the rail network.” Complainants argued that they had experienced considerable delays and disruptions and claimed that the rail service was still “unreliable.”

The National Rail Network said that the campaign, which was carried out on behalf of 26 separate train operators, was designed to convey the end of the disruption caused by the Hatfield rail crash in October 2000. The advertisers admitted that normal standards had not been resumed but argued that journey times, speed, frequency, punctuality and reliability had improved across the rail network. The advertisers sent evidence showing that journey times had improved since the Hatfield incident and claimed that the number of trains that were on time nationally had risen from 57% immediately after the Hatfield crash to 81% in May and June 2001.

The ASA acknowledged that the campaign was intended to promote train travel nationally and considered that the evidence provided by The National Rail Network showed that services had improved considerably since the Hatfield crash. The authority dismissed complaints regarding most of the ads in the campaign but concluded that the statement: “Fast and frequent services are back across the network”, was inappropriate because it implied all the train operators had returned to pre-Hatfield levels of service.

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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