Satisfaction with Southeastern trains improves

Customer satisfaction with Southeastern train services has improved in the last year, but its score remains the second worst nationally.
Southeastern trainsSoutheastern trains
Southeastern trains

Southern, run by Govia Thameslink Railway, finished bottom of an annual rail survey carried out by consumer champion Which? for the third straight year, with a score of just 28 per cent.

While Southeastern finished with a second worst score of 39 per cent this was up from last year’s 31 per cent.

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It scored three stars out of five for frequency of trains, but two for punctuality, reliability and availability of seats, and just one star for value for money.

Train passengers were asked about their experiences over the previous 12 months as part of research carried out between October and November 2017.

A Southeastern spokesman said: “We are dedicated to making journeys better for our passengers, and have invested over £70m in improving customer service training, train reliability and station facilities as part of a long-term plan for change.

“The most recent National Rail Passenger Survey results showed that passenger satisfaction has significantly improved and that, when asked about the last journey they took with us, eight in ten of our passengers are satisfied.

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“We have seen a 40 per cent growth in passenger numbers in the last decade and acknowledge the concerns about overcrowding in busy peak times which is why we’ve already introduced extra carriage on key routes, benefitting our customers on Mainline as well as Metro services.

“Working together with Network Rail, we’re also helping to deliver major improvements for passengers such as the rebuilding of London Bridge station.”

Alex Hayman, Which? managing director of public markets, said: “Fares are going up but frustrated and long suffering passengers affected by seemingly never ending delays, cancellations and dirty trains don’t feel that their services are getting any better.”

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