Best and worst train companies
Which train companies have the least satisfied passengers?
Thameslink and Great Northern are the railway operators with the least-satisfied passengers, according to a new survey by Which.
The consumer champion's poll of almost 7,000 travellers looked at things like availability of seating, the condition of the train, reliability, puncuality and value for money. Each train firm was then awarded a customer score percentage based on how it had performed.
And it was the providers of train services in the south east that came out worst, as the table below reveals:
|
Train company |
Overall satisfaction score |
|
Grand Central |
79% |
|
Hull Trains |
73% |
|
Merseyrail |
70% |
|
Virgin Trains West Coast |
69% |
|
C2C |
62% |
|
East Coast/Virgin Trains East Coast |
61% |
|
Chiltern Railways |
60% |
|
Scotrail |
59% |
|
East Midlands Trains |
58% |
|
London Overground |
56% |
|
Cross Country Trains |
55% |
|
First TransPennine Express |
55% |
|
London Midland |
55% |
|
Tfl Rail |
52% |
|
South West Trains |
51% |
|
First Great Western/Great Western Railway |
50% |
|
Northern Rail |
50% |
|
Arriva Trains Wales |
49% |
|
Southern |
48% |
|
Abellio Greater Anglia |
47% |
|
Southeastern |
46% |
|
Thameslink and Great Northern |
46% |
In contrast, it’s the smallest firms that performed the best. Grand Central runs just four trains each day between London and Bradford, and five between London and Sunderland. Meanwhile Hull Trains operates seven daily services between London and Hull.
Attracting complaints
The survey results are an interesting contrast to the official complaints figures, released by the Government's Office of Rail and Road (ORR) department.
Here’s how the various operators performed in the second quarter of 2015/16:
|
Train company |
Complaints (per 100,000 journeys) |
Year-on-year change |
|
Grand Central |
295.6 |
No data available |
|
Virgin Trains West Coast |
198.2 |
-7.6% |
|
Virgin Trains East Coast |
147 |
11.7% |
|
Hull Trains |
112.1 |
No data available |
|
Arriva Trains Wales |
62.8 |
0% |
|
Greater Anglia |
62.3 |
77.9% |
|
East Midlands Trains |
56.3 |
-18.8% |
|
CrossCountry |
51.8 |
-22.1% |
|
Chiltern |
50.7 |
-35.6% |
|
First TransPennine Express |
37.4 |
-18.9% |
|
Great Western |
36.1 |
-4.5% |
|
London Midland |
31.1 |
12.8% |
|
Northern Rail |
31.1 |
-19.8% |
|
ScotRail |
23.2 |
14.9% |
|
c2c |
18.1 |
-26.7% |
|
Merseyrail |
18 |
0.6% |
|
Southeastern |
12.3 |
-7.3% |
|
South West Trains |
10 |
-32.1% |
|
Govia Thameslink Railway |
8.1 |
Data not comparable |
|
London Overground |
4.4 |
58.7% |
If you aren’t happy with the service you have received, be sure to complain. Check out our guide Train delays and cancellations: how to claim refunds and compensation.
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