Train operator London Midland has seen the biggest drop in overall customer satisfaction of any of the UK’s rail franchises since last spring, according to a survey published today.
The company scored an overall 80 per cent in the latest National Passenger Survey, a twice-yearly review which looks at overall satisfaction with trains and stations, and 32 specific aspects of performance.
London Midland’s score is slightly below the national average of 82 per cent. The company has said it will “absolutely take on board” the results of the survey.
First Hull Trains had the highest satisfaction rating of 95 per cent, while the lowest scoring operators were Northern, with 76 per cent.
The report also showed only 32 per cent of people surveyed were satisfied with how London Midland deals with delays, and availability of staff (41 per cent) and availability of seating (45 per cent) also scored poorly.
But overall satisfaction with trains (80 per cent), frequency (76 per cent) and punctuality (70 per cent) all scored much higher.
A London Midland spokesman said: “We absolutely take on board the feedback from passengers and will use this as we move forward. These figures reflect a time when performance was at an unprecedented low, compounded by infrastructure issues and a spell of freezing weather. This has, understandably, impacted on results and passengers have every right to be critical.
“We are sorry for the disruption caused to our passengers and continue to work closely with our partners, including Network Rail, to identify ways of delivering improvements. We have, and continue to, take action on performance and have seen an improvement since March, with punctuality during April at its highest level in almost a year.
“However, we know that there is still a lot more for us to do to rebuild confidence with our passengers and we are completely focused on doing this over the coming months.”
Brian Binley, Northampton South MP and chairman of Northampton Rail Users Group, said: “It is appalling - every time this happens we get excuses. It just seems to go from bad to worse.
“I wonder in my heart of hearts whether they want to keep the franchise - and whether the customers want them to keep it.
“They have got to come up with some answers very quickly indeed, if the people of Northampton ae not to say ‘we have had enough’.”
Passenger Focus chief executive, Anthony Smith, said: “Passengers faced variable performance in the early part of 2013. There continues to be a wide gap between the better and weaker performing services.
“Value for money by route is even more striking with satisfaction levels ranging from 17 to 76 per cent.
“Passengers are now the main overall funder of Great Britain’s railway, so it is vital that their key needs are met. Given that performance is the key factor that underpins most passengers’ general view of the railway, train companies and Network Rail must keep striving to get more trains on time.”