27,000 rail passengers have their say

25 July 2017

Rail passengers in London and the South East are more satisfied with their railway journeys after a long period of patchy performance. At 90 per cent, ScotRail’s passengers are also happier after last autumn’s uncharacteristic poor score.

Transport Focus’s latest National Rail Passenger Survey, measuring satisfaction of more than more than 27,000 passengers, is published today. The overall satisfaction figure for London and South East train companies has shifted from 79 per cent in Spring last year to 82 per cent this Spring. The figures for peak time services, when most passengers are using the railway, are even more marked.

The survey shows that a period of more stable performance has led to improvements in passengers’ experience. No train company’s overall satisfaction figures declined.

The figures for Southern in particular show a significant recovery in passengers’ experience with a number of factors including the helpfulness and availability of on board staff and also of staff at the station. Southeastern also saw their overall satisfaction scores increase by 10 per cent.

Having said that, there is some way to go. Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Southeastern have the lowest scores. These green shoots are fragile and need nurturing. This recovery will be under pressure from upgrade works, industrial relationship problems and rising passenger numbers. So the industry needs to keep a relentless, ongoing focus on performance and reliability. This is the main thing we passengers buy from the railways: reliability.

The survey and the passenger voice it captures continues to be a key driver of change on the railways. Used in, among other places, franchise contracts, business plans, improvement plans and station surveys it drives improvements all over Great Britain.

Click here to see all the results.