Save Our Sleepers

London's Times reports that Britain's overnight long-distance trains are under threat. The British government and Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) argue that the subsidies paid to keep sleeper services running from London to Cornwall and Scotland amount to an unnecessary haemorrhaging of cash. Even when booked to capacity, the SRA notes, some of these trains still don't make enough money to cover their operating costs.

Clearly, something is wrong with the sleeper situation. But perhaps the answer is not to axe the services. Britain's sleeper trains are beloved by many, and are rightly regarded by communities throughout Scotland and the West Country as vital arteries for trade and tourism.

Sleeper services are patently useful to businesspeople, especially on the London to Glasgow and Edinburgh corridors. Why? Simply because they allow for the most efficient use of time, combining a good night's sleep with transportation to the busy executive's destination of choice. Neither EasyJet, Ryanair, BMI, BA, nor any other airline can compete in this department.

Tourists love the sleepers too (they just don't know about them, by and large). One can enjoy no grander welcome to the Highlands than the delicious experience of waking to sunrise over Loch Lomond, followed by a breakfast of smoked salmon, croissants and marmalade in the London-Fort William dining car as the lonely expanse of Rannoch Moor glides by outside.

Let's not be dumb here and make the myopic mistake of scrapping these services. Let's instead figure out why the sleepers aren't holding their own, and fix that. As a travel professional, it's clear to me that sleeper services are victims of woeful undermarketing. The simple fact is: Most people don't even know these wonderful trains exist.

Here's one approach, for starters. First, sort out how to minimize the logistical burden of the services, and set a sensible pricing structure that takes into account the great potential value these services represent to business users. Then get to work putting together a clever, concerted marketing campaign which targets all relevant intercity business travelers, and tourists. Finally, make sure said campaign is backed up by a fast, idiot-proof booking interface and good customer service. Do this and the government and train operating companies are onto a winner.

No doubt the answer is more complex than the naïve outline above. But please, let's not throw away this asset, these last vestiges of a civilised rail network. We've sat back and watched this happen before, and have come to regret it.

Here's a link to the Strategic Rail Authority's comment form. And here's an email link to the desk of the Right Honourable Alistair Darling, the Secretary of State for Transport. Let them know your opinion.