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Transport User Voice – February 2019 – Rail satisfaction in Scotland
04 February 2019
The latest views of ScotRail passengers
In the latest National Rail Passenger Survey, overall passenger satisfaction with ScotRail services has fallen to 79 per cent. Following a year of delays, cancellations and the late delivery of new trains, passengers are less happy than at any time since 2002.
In autumn 2018, passenger satisfaction with ScotRail punctuality fell 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.
Transport Focus believes 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 in Scotland.
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 now continue to monitor closely whether the introduction of the new timetable delivers additional capacity, more frequent trains and better journey times for passengers. Likewise, it will be looking to see whether the remedial notice issued to ScotRail by Transport Scotland will result in a plan that delivers improved punctuality and reliability.
For more information, read the full report or the at-a-glance guides for Great Britain as a whole and individual train companies. These show that satisfaction levels were mixed with cross-border operators: Virgin Trains came out best (90 per cent) followed by London North Eastern Railway (87 per cent) and Cross Country (81 per cent), all above the average for all train operators (79 per cent). TransPennine Express came out significantly worse at 73 per cent.