TRAIN operators based in York are celebrating largely positive feedback from a national survey of passengers.

To make a fairer assessment of the many different types of operator, the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority has decided for the first time to compare how well railways have performed with how well their passengers think they've performed.

And both Great North Eastern Railway and Northern Spirit have ranked among the best, as far as customers are concerned, with GNER coming second in the 'Overall Opinion' league.

Eighty-nine per cent of the company's users are satisfied or very satisfied with the service provided.

Northern Spirit didn't do quite as well, with 78 per cent expressing satisfaction. Ten per cent said they were dissatisfied.

Of the high-speed long distance operators, GNER came out on top in the punctuality stakes, with 86 per cent of passengers saying they were very satisfied with the times of their trains.

Actual figures revealed 90.1 per cent of trains arriving within ten minutes of scheduled arrival time.

Commenting on the report by the regulatory body, GNER chief executive Christopher Garnett said: "These results reflect the time, care and money we have invested in improving customer service in all areas. We will continue to develop the company service culture and the quality and commitment of our people."

Northern Spirit spokesman Howard Keal said: "We are very pleased to have chalked up a high level of customer satisfaction. It's above average when compared with train operators across the country."