Rail firm launches soundscape series for commuters

The Train Tracks series was launched after a study showed nature sounds relax rail commutes more than music or podcasts

A rail company has released a free series of nature soundscapes to help commuters switch off.

Train Tracks by South Western Railway (SWR) has been launched in response to a new study that suggested nature sounds relax rail commutes more than music or podcasts.

SWR conducted the preliminary study under the guidance of University of Oxford professor of experimental psychology Charles Spence.

The research by SWR and data company Savanta sought to demonstrate how commuting can help workers to switch between work and home life.

It was conducted among 2,000 British rail travellers in August 2023.

Passengers listened to a selection of nature sounds, including bird song, flowing rivers and rainfall, as well as their regular preferred audio source, such as music or a podcast.

These scenarios were also tested against no audio input.

It suggested they were 35% less stressed when listening to nature soundscapes during the commute.

'Long distance flights'

In comparison, those listening to music or podcasts only registered an 11% reduction in stress.

Prof Spence said the study "may have been one of the only" to have been conducted on a train with real commuters.

"It would be interesting to investigate whether the results could also be applicable to other forms of transport, such as long distance flights or lengthy drives,” he said.

Other data showed three in five, or 61% of the participants, saying that their train journey is vital for decompressing from the working day.

SWR partnered with workplace wellbeing platform Unmind to make the Train Tracks series happen.

Episodes are available on all major audio platforms and include sounds of storms, bird song, and waterfalls.

Each comes in short, medium and long versions.