East Midlands Railway franchise starts

19 August 2019

Commenting on the start of the new Abellio East Midlands Railway franchise, David Sidebottom, director of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“Passengers across the East Midlands rail network told Transport Focus that their key priorities for improvement are frequent, punctual and reliable services, with more modern trains with free Wi-Fi and power sockets as standard along with better catering and toilet facilities on the train.

“It is good to see efforts to meet these aspirations at the heart of the new franchise with new trains, more seats and services, and actions to improve the passenger experience with free Wi-Fi on trains and at stations.

“East Midlands Railway now has an unrivalled opportunity to provide outstanding journeys and customer service for rail passengers across the network.”

 

Background

In Transport Focus’s last National Rail Passenger Survey 86 per cent of East Midlands Trains’ passengers were satisfied overall with their service, with only 50 per cent satisfied with value for money.

Transport Focus East Midlands passenger research.