Train services rated best in country by happy travellers

First Hull Trains, which operates direct daily services between Hull and London, came joint first with Heathrow Express in the spring 2011 National Passenger Survey.

A total of 95 per cent of passengers with both companies said they were satisfied with the overall service, putting them at the top of a table of all 22 long distance rail operators in the country.

The new managing director at First Hull Trains, Cath Bellamy, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our customers have rated us so highly in this independent assessment of the services we offer.

“It is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the wonderful team at First Hull Trains that people think so highly of us and the services we deliver.

“I would like to say a big thank you to my team for their hard work every day and to our customers for their loyal support.”

The survey, set against criteria measured by Passenger Focus, the independent consumer watchdog for rail passengers, ranked c2c and Merseyrail next with 91 per cent satisfaction, followed by Virgin Trains on 90 per cent.

First Hull Trains recently launched its summer timetable which for the first time included journeys between the capital and Hull at under two hours and 30 minutes.

The quickest journey north can now be made in two hours, 28 minutes, and the quickest south in two hours, 35 minutes.

The company spent £2.5m revamping its four-strong fleet in January.