Train firm top in passenger satisfaction survey (From York Press)

Train firm top in passenger satisfaction survey

By Richard Catton »

A YORK-BASED train company has scored the highest marks for passenger satisfaction of any train operator in the UK.

Grand Central – which runs four direct services a day between York and London – achieved a 95 per cent rating in a survey conducted by the independent watchdog Passenger Focus.

Ninety-three per cent of passengers also gave a positive rating to the comfort of the trains’ seating areas, and 92 per cent were satisfied with personal security on the trains and the length of time journeys were scheduled to take.

Managing director Tom Clift welcomed the results, saying they were a ringing endorsement of “Open Access” operators, which were entirely reliant on passenger goodwill to generate income, rather than government support.

He said the ratings were also “a testament to the skill and hard work of our dedicated and friendly staff,” he said. “The results show yet again that small really is beautiful.”

Other train companies operating out of York also welcomed their satisfaction ratings, which included 87 per cent for East Coast, 84 per cent for First TransPennine Express, 83 per cent for Northern and 82 per cent for CrossCountry, in the survey which was carried out last autumn.

An East Coast spokesman said its rating was one point ahead of the average for all long distance train operators, and equal to the same score achieved in the last survey in Spring 2011.

He said: “Customers saying they were “very satisfied” with their journey increased to 43 per cent, which is very encouraging, especially following the introduction of a new East Coast timetable and First Class Complimentary food and drinks service from May 2011.”

Ian Bevan, managing director of Northern Rail, said: “We are happy that the majority of our passengers are satisfied with our services and that our overall satisfaction figure has increased to 83 per cent. We are pleased to see more passengers feel safe both at our stations and on our trains, reflecting our investment in CCTV and our rail response teams.”

He said he realised overcrowding had been a particular issue with our passengers, which was reflected in the results for “sufficient room to sit or stand on the train” declining by three per cent, and he hoped to see an improvement to this result in the future as passengers saw the benefits of additional carriages introduced in December last year.