LNER launches WhatsApp Channel to deliver passengers real-time travel updates

Credit: LNER

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has launched a WhatsApp Channel to provide passengers with live service updates, travel information and disruption alerts.

LNER’s Service Delivery Team updates the channel directly, giving customers the chance to check for issues before travelling and receive reliable real-time information during disruption. It operates as a one-way feed: customers cannot message LNER but will continue to receive notifications designed to support and guide their journey.

As WhatsApp Channel notifications are off by default, LNER is encouraging passengers to subscribe and activate notifications ahead of travel. Passengers can enable alerts by clicking the bell icon in the app and switch them off once their trip is complete to avoid any unnecessary communications afterwards.

Zoe Belhomme, Communications Transformation Manager at LNER, said:

We know our customers book their tickets from a range of different platforms, and that can make getting the right service information to them tricky. One benefit of a WhatsApp Channel is that anyone with the link, regardless of where they booked their ticket, can subscribe and use the feed when they need it.

Our research shows that customer confidence and satisfaction in rail increases significantly if they are more informed during their journey, even when they are disrupted. This channel is just one of the ways LNER is making sure customers have access to the right information so they can confidently make the right decisions for them ahead of travelling or if things don’t go to plan.”

Passengers can subscribe to the new LNER WhatsApp Channel here.