Transport watchdog’s biannual survey shows satisfaction up to 83% – up four percentage points from autumn

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Train operators may have started “rebuilding passenger trust” in the railway, according to the transport watchdog, whose latest national survey showed satisfaction levels starting to improve.

Overall satisfaction across Britain rose to 83% in the biannual survey, polled after 28,000 journeys between February and April – up four percentage points from last autumn and two points higher than spring 2018.

The number of happy passengers on Southern, a byword for rail misery for much of the decade, reached a seven-year high of 81%, compared with 69% just a year ago.

However, Great Northern, its sister company in Govia Thameslink Railway, continued to languish on the bottom with 77% of customers satisfied. It came just below South Western and Northern, which were beset by problems including strikes at the beginning of the year.

TransPennine Express passengers are perhaps the most tolerant, as 83% described themselves as satisfied with their journey – although more than one in four also said the levels of crowding and the reliability and punctuality of their train was unsatisfactory or poor.

Nationally, satisfaction with the punctuality and reliability of train services reached 77%, compared with 72% last year.

Anthony Smith, the chief executive of Transport Focus, which compiles the survey, said: “At long last, passenger satisfaction has begun to improve, buoyed in particular by a keener focus on improved reliability and the arrival of new trains on some routes.

“More improvement is essential, but it must be hoped the positive changes … are the start of a trend that signals the rebuilding of passenger trust in the railway.”

Along with Southern, Great Western Railway and Southeastern also improved their scores significantly.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said the higher scores reflected improvements they had made, including the introduction of 1,500 new carriages in the past three years.

On detailed questions on 41 individual aspects of their journey, such as train and station facilities, scores improved in more than half the categories while none fell. Satisfaction with train wifi, power sockets and toilets significantly improved - although these categories remain the lowest scoring, with almost one in two actively dissatisfied with the internet connection.

Overall fewer than half of passengers, just 47%, said their ticket was value for money, after years of rising fares. The RDG said that proposals it has made to the government this year to reform the fares system would make tickets easier to buy and could mean cheaper travel for flexible workers.

Jacqueline Starr, chief operating officer at the RDG, said: “Last year was a difficult one for our passengers and while further improvements are needed, long-term investment by rail companies in new carriages, extra services and revamped stations is starting to be reflected in higher satisfaction scores.”

A review of the entire rail industry’s structures is being conducted by Keith Williams, who is expected to lay out recommendations for reform in the autumn, after he said passengers were being “taken for granted” and driven away.