Passenger satisfaction slumps on Scotland to London line

Problems following a £9 billion upgrade on a key London to Scotland rail route have led to a fall in passenger satisfaction levels on that line, it was revealed today.

Network Rail, whose top bosses were awarded six-figure bonuses last week, has been criticised by rail regulators for its performance on the West Coast Main Line.

Official figures today showed that passenger satisfaction levels for punctuality and reliability for Virgin Trains – the main user of the West Coast line – had fallen 6% to 79% in the period spring 2008 to spring 2009.

And the punctuality and reliability satisfaction level for passengers on the services of London Midland, which also operates on the West Coast line, fell 8% to 70%.

"Virgin Trains and London Midland passengers are fed up with not being able to rely on the timekeeping of their services, the key thing passengers want," said Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus.

He went on: "Network Rail and these train companies must stay focused on restoring their passengers' trust in the timetable."

Network Rail was strongly criticised last week by the Office of Rail Regulation, politicians, passengers and trade unions for the level of bosses' bonuses which saw some top directors getting a performance-related package of more than £300,000.

Today's official statistics from Passenger Focus showed:

Nationally, the percentage of passengers satisfied with their journey overall was 81% – up 1% compared with spring 2008;

80% were satisfied with punctuality/reliability – about the same as spring 2008;

40% thought the price of their rail ticket represented value for money –also about the same as last spring;

66% were satisfied there was sufficient room for all the passengers to sit or stand – up 4% from spring 2008;

The lowest ratings for overall satisfaction were given to London Overground (75%), National Express East Anglia (76%), First Capital Connect (76%), Southeastern (76%) and London Midland (78%);
The highest ratings for overall satisfaction were achieved by Heathrow Express (92%), c2c (91%), Merseyrail (91%), Chiltern Railways (90%) and Heathrow Connect (90%);

St Pancras in London, where a new international terminus has opened as well as new domestic service facilities, was voted top for passenger satisfaction, pushing Manchester Piccadilly into second place.

Mr Smith said: "Across Britain passengers continue to be broadly satisfied with their train services. Despite the credit crunch and train companies cutting staff, reducing cleaning and other services in some locations, passenger satisfaction has held up since last spring.

"This must be partly due to continued overall improvements in trains arriving on time – the key factor that underpins rail passenger satisfaction."

He went on: "Passengers have clearly said they like the new St Pancras. This shows what big investment can achieve. Now let's have more of Britain's busy stations being restored and revitalised like St Pancras."