First Great Western dropped to 15th place out of 19 national railway companies in the latest annual Which? magazine national satisfaction survey with a low level rating of just 45 per cent.
The majority of the major training operating companies involved in the survey, in which more than 7,400 regular train passengers across the country took part, failed to score over 50 per cent.
The survey compiled scores based on passengers’ overall satisfaction with a company and whether they would be likely to recommend it.
A total of 11 of the 19 companies had a customer score of 50 per cent or lower, with Greater Anglia and Southeastern scoring just 40 per cent, First Great Western 45 per cent, while a record score of 70 per cent was achieved by Merseyrail.
They survey results showed that nearly one in five of all passengers experienced a delay on their last rail journey, the total rising for commuters, and one in five commuters said they were likely not to have had a seat on their last journey.
One in ten said toilets were not in good working order and the same number revealed that they had cause to complain about the last journey they had taken, while three-quarters didn’t make an official complaint.
And off those who did complain, more than half were dissatisfied with how their protests were handled.
Which? is encouraging passengers to formally complain to their rail company and also share their experience on its website, in order to build a picture of the problems they face. It will then present each train company with a dossier of consumers’ complaints.
“It’s disappointing to see some train companies consistently falling down on the basics of customer service, with dirty and overcrowded carriages and toilets that don’t work,” said Richard Lloyd, the ‘Which?’ executive editor.
“Seven rail franchises end in the next two years and we want to see passengers’ experiences put right at the heart of the tender process so companies respond to consumer expectations and can be held to account if they don’t.”
The survey also asked what passengers felt would improve their journeys and what they would be prepared to pay more for. Unsurprisingly, lower ticket prices were top of the wanted list – some 60 per cent, with eight in 10 people saying fares were too high.
Passsengers also wanted to see more carriages at peak times, promotions on ticket prices, and one in five wanted wi-fi as standard, along with improved punctuality and reliability.
And around one in ten of passengers demanded cleaner trains, two rail companies scoring just one star for cleanliness on commuter routes.
However, more than half — 53 per cent of passengers — said they don’t mind paying more if they saw an improvement in service in return. Half would pay more for a more reliable service, and a similar number would pay more to guarantee a seat.
Passengerse can share their experiences of their train journeys with Which? at www.which.co.uk/trains
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