Preliminary Results from a Survey of Present and Past Rail Commuters in the Hertfordshire Area.

This note describes and provides initial results from a survey of existing and past rail commuters from the Hertfordshire area to London undertaken as part of an SSRC financed project on Location and Commuting. It discusses the coverage and characteristics of respondents, availability of travel and housing assistance, reasons why people cease to be season-ticket holders, home and job mobility and the degree of railheading. It is concluded that the principal reason why people cease to commute by rail is that they obtain jobs outside Greater London, although a small but significant minority commute to London by car. Railheading is rare within this sample.