Sheffield trains: CrossCountry worst in country - espcially for crowding - devastating survey shows

Business Editor

Published 15th Jun 2025, 07:02 BST

A rail company that serves Sheffield is the worst in the country, according to passengers.

CrossCountry, whose routes connect Sheffield to Edinburgh, Newcastle, Plymouth and Reading had the worst overall satisfaction score among the 22 main train operating companies.

It was also worst for cleanliness, frequency of trains, information and value for money.

CrossCountry, which serves Sheffield, had the worst overall satisfaction score among the 22 main train operating companies. Northern, trained pictured, came third from bottom. — CrossCountry, which serves Sheffield, had the worst overall satisfaction score among the 22 main train operating companies. Northern, trained pictured, came third from bottom. | nw

placeholder image — CrossCountry, which serves Sheffield, had the worst overall satisfaction score among the 22 main train operating companies. Northern, trained pictured, came third from bottom. | nw

But crowding was its stand out failing, with a score of 48 out of 100, far below second worst Southern at 69. Scotrail was top with 82.

The Rail User Survey asked 2,000 people across Great Britain about their most recent journey on 24 occasions between December 6 and May 25.

It is run by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users.

Sheffield Midland Railway Station is mainly served by East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Northern and TransPennine Express trains, according to Trainline.

Train companies that serve Sheffield station include EMR, CrossCountry, Northern and Transpennine Express. — Train companies that serve Sheffield station include EMR, CrossCountry, Northern and Transpennine Express. | nw

placeholder image — Train companies that serve Sheffield station include EMR, CrossCountry, Northern and Transpennine Express. | nw

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Rail User Survey Scores out of 100

Overall Satisfaction

EMR 86

CrossCountry 75 - worst

Northern 83 - third worst

TransPennine Express 86

Merseyrail was top with 93

Punctuality/reliability

EMR scored 81

CrossCountry 73

Northern 72

TransPennine Express 78

Transport for Wales was worst with 71

Crowding

CrossCountry 48 - worst

EMR 65

Northern 72

TransPennine Express 72

Cleanliness

CrossCountry 66 - worst

East Midlands Railway 76

Northern 73

TransPennine Express 79

Value for money

CrossCountry 47

East Midlands Railway 58

Northern 56

TransPennine Express 62

Southern 41 - worst

Frequency

CrossCountry 62 - worst

East Midlands Railway 75

Northern 67

TransPennine Express 75

Information during journey

CrossCountry 70 - worst

East Midlands Railway 79

Northern 75

TransPennine Express 81

A CrossCountry spokesperson said they knew they had more to do.

They added: "Over the last six months, we have worked hard to reduce cancellations, improve the onboard experience and consistently increase punctuality.

“In our recent timetable change we are pleased to have introduced twelve more trains to our Voyager fleet, providing over 28,000 additional standard class seats weekly for customers on our long-distance routes, whilst the complete refurbishment of our inter-regional fleet is delivering a step change in passenger experience on those routes.

“These investments are helping to provide a more comfortable and reliable service for our customers.

"We know that we have more to do to meet the expectations of our passengers, which is why we continue to work closely with the Department for Transport and Network Rail to deliver further improvements for our customers and the communities we serve."

CrossCountry trains connect Sheffield to Edinburgh, Newcastle, Plymouth and Reading.

EMR runs between Sheffield and London St Pancras, Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street.

TransPennine Express covers the routes from Sheffield to Manchester and Cleethorpes.

Northern Rail services run between Sheffield and Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Scarborough and Lincoln.

Sheffield Trains Department for Transport East Midlands Railway

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