SWELTRAC gets its communications act together

05/02/1999

Following an innovation study by a Strategic Marketing and Communications Company, SWELTRAC has agreed its communication strategy for getting important messages to its target audience - political, public and business.

SWELTRAC is a successful and pro-active partnership of train, bus operators (including Railtrack, South West Trains and London Transport), passenger and business interests, and ten Local Authorities. They are working together to improve public transport in South and West London and reduce dependence on the car.

SWELTRAC projects include the £5m Feltham Station Interchange improvements and bus shuttle to Heathrow. This project is part funded by Railtrack, South West Trains, London Transport, BAA and Government, along with a variety of bus, signal and interchange schemes across the region for example at Wimbledon, Kingston, Twickenham and Hounslow.

After eighteen 1:1 interviews with key opinion formers, the two main conclusions of the study, which SWELTRAC has adopted, are:

• That SWELTRAC does not need to engage in a widespread and costly communication programme; and

• That SWELTRAC should appoint a 'Champion' or a Communications Director dedicated to getting 'SWELTRAC messages' to key audience using SWELTRAC's own key partners and other freely available media outlets.

Bob Alker, Chairman of SWELTRAC's steering group, is delighted to announce that John Barkley has agreed to take on the Communications Director role in addition to his Managing Consultant role for SWELTRAC. John had much to do with SWELTRAC's development when he was Director at Richmond upon Thames. He is now a Management and Transport Consultant.

Among his initial tasks has been to contact many of those who took part in the communications study to see how closer joint working can be beneficial to all parties, not least to the travelling public. One innovative outcome is a South London Seminar with workshops planned for March. The seminar is being organised by SWELTRAC and hosted by Connex, who, working with the Transport industry and SELTRANS, Transport Planners and their Public Relations and Marketing Colleagues, along with Managing Directors will,

• Examine how rail services are publicised

• Examine how modal share can be shifted from car to public transport

• Agree key messages to the travelling public and how to deliver them.

Accepting the challenge of his new role, John Barkley commented: 'These are just the sorts of initiative that will be needed more widely if the exciting objectives in the Government's Transport White Paper are to be realised.