YORK train operator Grand Central Railway has topped a new league table for customer satisfaction - but other York-based train firms have fared less well.

The watchdog Passenger Focus said 94 per cent of passengers were satisfied or very satisfied with Grand Central's services in its autumn 2014 National Rail Passenger Survey, which sought the views of some 30,000 rail users across the country.

It said 96 per cent of passengers were happy with the punctuality of trains arriving and departing at stations, a 6 per cent improvement since last spring.

A spokeswoman for Grand Central, which operates direct services from York to London, said passengers cited value for money, comfortable seating and extra legroom, available as standard on trains, amongst the reasons for the very high levels of satisfaction.

First TransPennine Express, which operates services from York to cities such as Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, achieved 82 per cent overall satisfaction - one point above the national average of 81 per cent but down by three per cent on last spring.

Passenger Focus highlighted the company's poor scoring for punctuality and reliability of trains, which scored 8 percentage points lower than a year ago.

Managing director Nick Donovan said that while customer satisfaction scores had improved in a majority of areas, "we are not at the level we want to be and we are committed to do more for our customers and better meet their requirements."

York-based East Coast, which runs services to the capital and Edinburgh, achieved 90 per cent satisfaction - the same as last spring. A spokesman said the survey results, which showed East Coast was performing consistently, provided a firm foundation as it prepared for handover to the new Virgin Trains East Coast company on March 1.

Another York firm, Northern Rail, which runs services from York to Harrogate, and a stopping service to Leeds and beyond and to Selby and beyond, achieved only 78 per cent satisfaction, down by two per cent on its figure for last spring.

Customer Service Director Natalie Loughborough said surveys supported feedback it gathered all year round through it own independent research to ensure it tackled the issues that mattered most to customers.

"It is encouraging to see customers are increasingly satisfied with the helpfulness and availability of our staff at stations and on our trains across our network," she said.

Cross Country`, which runs trains from York to cities such as Birmingham and Bristol, had a satisfaction figure of 83, up by one per cent on last spring. First Hull Trains, which runs services from Selby to London, had 89 per cent satisfaction, down by seven per cent on last spring.