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| Rail passengers in south-east England are least satisfied, poll finds Rail passengers in south-east England are least satisfied, poll finds | |
| (3 months later) | |
| Rail passengers in the south-east of England are the least satisfied in the country, according to a survey by the consumer group Which? | Rail passengers in the south-east of England are the least satisfied in the country, according to a survey by the consumer group Which? |
| Overcrowding, poor value for money and dirty trains were among the issues raised by the poll of almost 7,000 travellers. | Overcrowding, poor value for money and dirty trains were among the issues raised by the poll of almost 7,000 travellers. |
| Southeastern was the joint worst performing operator alongside Thameslink and Great Northern, with an overall satisfaction score of just 46%. Abellio Greater Anglia was almost as bad at 47%, followed by Southern on 48% and Arriva Trains Wales on 49%. | Southeastern was the joint worst performing operator alongside Thameslink and Great Northern, with an overall satisfaction score of just 46%. Abellio Greater Anglia was almost as bad at 47%, followed by Southern on 48% and Arriva Trains Wales on 49%. |
| Long-running improvement work at London Bridge station has contributed to disruption in the south-east. | Long-running improvement work at London Bridge station has contributed to disruption in the south-east. |
| Figures released by the Office of Rail and Road last week revealed that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – responsible for Thameslink and Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services – had the most delays and cancellations caused by a lack of train staff between 1 April 2013 and 12 December last year, with 62,000 incidents. | Figures released by the Office of Rail and Road last week revealed that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – responsible for Thameslink and Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services – had the most delays and cancellations caused by a lack of train staff between 1 April 2013 and 12 December last year, with 62,000 incidents. |
| Grand Central came top of the Which? table, with an overall score of 79%, achieving the maximum of five stars for availability of seating, punctuality, cleanliness of trains, reliability and value for money. Hull Trains was the runner-up with a score of 73%. | Grand Central came top of the Which? table, with an overall score of 79%, achieving the maximum of five stars for availability of seating, punctuality, cleanliness of trains, reliability and value for money. Hull Trains was the runner-up with a score of 73%. |
| Almost a third (32%) of commuters said they experienced delays on their last journey. | Almost a third (32%) of commuters said they experienced delays on their last journey. |
| Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?, said: “Our report shows that commuters are getting a raw deal from their train operator. Whether it’s dirty facilities on the train, overcrowding or delayed trains, it is clear operators need to up their game. | Richard Lloyd, the executive director of Which?, said: “Our report shows that commuters are getting a raw deal from their train operator. Whether it’s dirty facilities on the train, overcrowding or delayed trains, it is clear operators need to up their game. |
| “Rail operators need to do much more to treat their customers fairly, providing better information and access to compensation when passengers are delayed.” | “Rail operators need to do much more to treat their customers fairly, providing better information and access to compensation when passengers are delayed.” |
| Which? surveyed 6,986 commuter and leisure passengers in November last year about their train journeys during the past 12 months. | Which? surveyed 6,986 commuter and leisure passengers in November last year about their train journeys during the past 12 months. |
| A GTR spokesman said: “We know that passenger satisfaction is strongly linked to punctuality and together with our partners, Network Rail, we are working hard to improve performance by reducing the delays within our control. | A GTR spokesman said: “We know that passenger satisfaction is strongly linked to punctuality and together with our partners, Network Rail, we are working hard to improve performance by reducing the delays within our control. |
| “However, there is no quick fix for the constraints that the rebuilding of London Bridge has put on our busy network, which means any incident quickly results in a domino effect on other services. | “However, there is no quick fix for the constraints that the rebuilding of London Bridge has put on our busy network, which means any incident quickly results in a domino effect on other services. |
| “We will however continue to do everything within our power to provide our passengers with a better service, including providing better information to passengers during disruption and continuing with the country’s biggest ever driver recruitment and training programme.” | “We will however continue to do everything within our power to provide our passengers with a better service, including providing better information to passengers during disruption and continuing with the country’s biggest ever driver recruitment and training programme.” |
| A Transport Focus survey of more than 28,000 passengers published last month found an increase in overall satisfaction to 83% in autumn 2015 – up from 81% year on year. | A Transport Focus survey of more than 28,000 passengers published last month found an increase in overall satisfaction to 83% in autumn 2015 – up from 81% year on year. |
| A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: “We’re sorry when our passengers don’t get the service they expect. We never want people to suffer delays or disruption. | A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: “We’re sorry when our passengers don’t get the service they expect. We never want people to suffer delays or disruption. |
| “Overall satisfaction among rail passengers is up significantly, according to the latest comprehensive survey by independent watchdog Transport Focus, but we know that we can do better to run more trains on time more often.” | “Overall satisfaction among rail passengers is up significantly, according to the latest comprehensive survey by independent watchdog Transport Focus, but we know that we can do better to run more trains on time more often.” |