Grim Down South For Rail Passengers

Grim Down South For Rail Passengers
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Rail passenger satisfaction levels have dipped, with London and south east England travellers the least happy with their service.

The proportion of passengers satisfied with their journey overall has fallen from 82% in spring 2014 to 80% in spring 2015, a survey of 31,000 rail travellers by Transport Focus (formerly Passenger Focus) showed.

While satisfaction was as high as 96% for travellers on First Hull Trains, it was as low as 72% on Southern and it was only 74% on Govia Thameslink.

Other below-average satisfaction marks included those for Abellio Greater Anglia (75%), Southeastern (75%) and Northern Rail (79%).

The higher scorers included Heathrow Express (94% of passengers satisfied), East Coast (94%), Grand Central (84%) and Merseyrail (91%).

The satisfaction level for London and south east England operators dipped from 80% in spring 2014 to 78% in spring 2015.

The biggest decline in satisfaction on these routes was a 5% dip in those who felt train companies dealt well with delays.

Overall, comparing spring 2014 with spring 2015, two operation companies (Abellio Greater Anglia and Southern) significantly declined in satisfaction levels.

Three significantly improved (Arriva Trains Wales, CrossCountry and East Coast), while there was no significant change in the satisfaction levels for the 18 train companies.

Overall satisfaction on individual routes was lowest for Govia Thameslink's Thameslink Loop service, at just 64%, while only 67% of passengers were satisfied with Southern's metro services.

In contrast, satisfaction on some other routes was as high as 95-96%.

Just 45% of passengers nationwide thought the price of their ticket represented value for money - about the same figure as for spring 2014.

Value-for-money ratings varied from as low as 29% for Abellio Greater Anglia's Mainline services to as high as 81% for ScotRail's rural services.

Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: "Commuters will not be surprised at these results. Long-term plans and investment are important and welcome – how the work is carried out, though, is crucial.

"The London Bridge rebuilding scheme in particular has caused problems. We're now working with train companies and Network Rail to try and minimise the impact on commuters."