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Travellers happier with rail services
CUSTOMER satisfaction in rail companies serving South Yorkshire is improving - but passengers remain unhappy about poor toilets and the way delays are handled.
Rail watchdog Passenger Focus carried out a survey last Autumn across the country. Every operator was assessed.
First TransPennine Express has the most happy customers, with 89% saying they were satisfied.
Passengers were pleased with the quality of its carriages, which are just a couple of years old. But only 42% were satisfied with how it dealt with delays.
East Midlands Trains' passenger satisfaction was 84%, just above the national average, compared with 75% in 2007.
Customer service director Jake Kelly said: "We have already invested more than 75 million to improve our services for passengers and this investment is clearly starting to pay off.
"We are extremely pleased that passengers are starting to see some of the benefits of our improvement programme, including refurbished trains, improved stations, investment in train maintenance facilities and a new timetable delivering more trains and faster journeys."
The company scored highly for punctuality, with 92% of trains on time and secured an industry award for improved performance.
But East Midlands Trains must do better in dealing with delays, with just 41% of passengers satisfied - and value for money - with only 48% of people satisfied with what they got for their fares.
Cross Country's overall customer satisfaction was 85%, with passengers praising roominess of trains, security and ease of connections.
Dealing with delays was again a problem, with only 41% of passengers satisfied.
Company managing director Andy Cooper said: "We are delighted that customers have again recognised the improvements we have delivered. Feedback will help us to do better."
On the East Cost Main Line through Doncaster, 89% of passengers were satisfied overall and toilets were the only aspect where the satisfaction rating among passengers fell below half, to 47%.
Worst performing operator was Northern, the only local firm for which overall satisfaction did not improve from 2008, at 82%. Only a third of passengers were happy with how delays were handled.
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