Not knowing about delays '˜is worst thing about trains' travel

A recovery in rail passenger satisfaction is fragile and under pressure, a transport watchdog has warned.

More than half of those questioned by the watchdog Transport Focus said the speed and quality of information about delays was a bigger contributing factor than the delays themselves.

Most companies, including the regional operators Northern, TransPennine Express and Virgin East Coast, failed to improve significantly on their results in the same category last year, with only 42 per cent of Northern’s passengers rating its handing of delays as good or even satisfactory.

Northern was given an overall satisfaction score of 83 in the half-yearly survey, well behind the industry leader, Hull Trains, on 97.

Nationally, satisfaction with punctuality and reliability of services rose from 73 to 77 per cent in the past year, Transport Focus said.

Southern Railway, which has been engaged in a long-running row with unions over staffing and driver-only trains, recorded the lowest overall score of 72 per cent, up from 69 per cent last year.

A similar dispute with Northern has seen a series of strikes by guards on local services across Yorkshire this year.

No train company’s satisfaction figures declined.

The watchdog’s chief executive, Anthony Smith, said the results represented the “fragile, green shoots” of recovery.

He said: “This recovery will be under pressure from upgrade works, industrial relationship problems and rising passenger numbers. So the industry needs to keep a relentless, ongoing focus on performance and reliability.”

He added: “There is some way to go to reach a more acceptable position. Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Southeastern have the lowest scores.”

Jacqueline Starr, managing director of customer experience at the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: “There is more to do which is why we are investing to improve and better connect communities across the country with major upgrades to the rail network, thousands of new carriages coming on track and 6,400 extra services a week by 2021.

“We will also continue to work hard to provide better information to our customers, simpler fares and a more accessible railway for all.”