ScotRail passenger satisfaction at lowest level for 16 years

29 January 2019

Overall passenger satisfaction with ScotRail services has fallen to a 16-year low*. In the latest survey, overall satisfaction with rail services in Scotland was 79 per cent.

Transport Focus’s latest National Rail Passenger Survey captures satisfaction of more than 25,000 passengers with their latest journey between September and November 2018.

Following a year of delays, cancellations and the late delivery of new trains, passengers are less happy than at any time since 2002, said the rail passenger watchdog today.

David Sidebottom, director of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“ScotRail and Network Rail need to keep to their basic promises and deliver a relentless focus on day-to-day performance as well as better information during disruption. A better value for money and more reliable railway must arrive soon for passengers.”

“While services have fallen well short of what passengers deserve, ScotRail’s extra compensation is welcome and will go some way to rebuild passenger trust.”

Transport Focus will continue to monitor closely whether the introduction of the new timetable delivers additional capacity, more frequent trains and better journey times for passengers – and whether the remedial notice issued to ScotRail by Transport Scotland will result in a plan that delivers improved punctuality and reliability.

Key trends

Passenger satisfaction with ScotRail punctuality has fallen to 72 per cent from 82 per cent in Autumn 2017.

Passenger satisfaction with value for money on ScotRail  fell to 51 per cent, from 59 per cent in Autumn 2017.

Passenger satisfaction with how well delays are handled by ScotRail is at 39 per cent, significantly down from 51 per cent in autumn 2017.

Cross border services

Overall satisfaction with cross border operators were Virgin Trains (90 per cent), London North Eastern Railway (87 per cent), Cross Country (81 per cent) and TransPennine Express (73 per cent).

Notes to editors

*Overall satisfaction in Autumn 2002 stood at 83 per cent.

The National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS), is one of the largest published passenger satisfaction surveys of rail passengers in the world.

In the latest survey – between 1 September and 16 November 2018 – Transport Focus surveyed 26,766 passengers across Great Britain including 1,309 passengers on ScotRail services.

  • download the full report
  • at-a-glance guides for Great Britain as a whole and individual train companies.

Summary – overall satisfaction on ScotRail Autumn 2018 National Rail Passenger Survey

Journey type Autumn 2018 (% satisfied) Autumn 2003 (% satisfied)
ScotRail 79% 84%
ScotRail – commuters 66% 75%

 

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