Thoughts on Trains & Their 'Customers'

When, I wonder, did the rail passenger become a customer. I understand that the term 'passenger' is no longer used by the rail companies in favour of the more appropriate term of 'customer'. So when did this come about? Was it as a result of years of neglect? Did someone wake up one morning and realise that passengers were in fact paying for a service? We'll probably never know but I'd like to think there was a sea change in thinking and a long overdue reaction to genuine and growing public discontentment.

A keen Twitter user, I am fed a constant stream of updates from various railway operating companies all around the country. In all cases, they refer to customers rather than passengers. I could be argued that communication has improved considerably. Twitter now provides the means for direct and instant messaging between operators and 'customers'. Only today there were messages sent every few minutes regarding a power failure at Kings Cross which was affecting all trains in and out. On other days, I have read about problems with flooding caused by the freakish rain we've been having. These messages instill a degree of comfort. There's someone out there who knows what is happening, and more importantly, they care.
A lot of their knowledge comes from the passengers - sorry, 'customers' who now have a link to someone in control. From their mobile phones and Internet connected devices, they feed them information about packed trains, late trains and blocked toilets. In this case, the interaction between customer and supplier is instant. This has to be a good thing.

There is another type of message I see all too often on my Twitter feed. These are the messages apologising for cancelled services due to a person being hit by a train. I see these almost daily and it bewilders me to think that so many people are able to stray onto our railway network and in so many cases end up under a moving train. There can be no doubt that a great many of these are intentional suicide attempts, and every one causes pain, anguish and distress to all involved especially the driver, passengers and emergency services. It is sad, but Twitter allows me to know about everything that's going on.

As I type this, a tweet has popped up from Greater Anglia telling me that there is a 'generally good service' and to reply if they can be of any help. This is service, good service. But it is a level of service we seem to struggle to provide on a personal level. Maybe it's something about the culture of this country. Rather than being asked in person if we think the service is satisfactory, we prefer to do it electronically. Despite our shyness, it is still a valuable thing and a channel between the customer and the supplier.
Has customer service improved, or has Twitter simply made communication easier?