Passengers who travel on Southeastern and Thameslink and Great Northern train services are the most dissatisfied in the UK, new figures have revealed.
According to a survey of nearly 7,000 passengers by Which? - published in the consumer group's magazine on Thursday - the overall customer score for both operators was 46 per cent. They both received two-star ratings for value for money, punctuality, availability of seating and cleanliness.
A Southeastern commuter told Which? magazine: “I pay a lot of money and always have to stand – there are not enough seats and not enough trains. I feel extremely ripped off.”
At the other end of the scale, commuters who travelled on Grand Central trains were the most happy with their rail journeys. The operator received five-star ratings for availability of seating, cleanliness, reliability, punctuality and value for money. It received an overall customer score of 79 per cent.
Here is the list of best and worst train operators with their overall customer score:
1. Grand Central - 79%
2. Hull Trains - 73%
3. Merseyrail - 70%
4. Virgin Trains West Coast - 69%
5. C2C - 62%
6. East Coast/Virgin Trains East Coast - 61%
7. Chiltern Railways - 60%
8. Scotrail - 59%
9. East Midlands Trains - 58%
10. London Overground - 56%
11. Cross Country Trains - 55%
= First TransPennine Express - 55%
= London Midland - 55%
14. TfL Rail - 52%
15. South West Trains - 51%
16. First Great Western/Great Western Railway- 50%
= Northern Rail - 50%
18. Arriva Trains Wales - 49%
19. Southern - 48%
20. Abellio Greater Anglia - 47%
21. Southeastern - 46%
= Thameslink and Great Northern - 46%
“Our report shows that commuters are getting a raw deal from their train operator,” said Richard Lloyd, the executive director at Which?.
“Whether it’s dirty facilities on the train, overcrowding or delayed trains, it is clear operators need to up their game.”
Govia Thameslink Railway, which is responsible for Thameslink and Great Northern, said it was “working hard to improve performance by reducing delays”. Southeastern said their £70 million investment programme would refurbish trains and provide more real time information to passengers.
Additional reporting by PA
