Train Companies? More Than Just Cheaper Fares
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TRAINS SURVEY | INVESTIGATION Our latest survey reveals the best and worst train Best and worst train companies companies, what you really want from them and what 1 Merseyrail (99) 70% you think about price rises 2 Chiltern Railways (201) 69% C2C (109) 67% ow is the time when train 3 companies need to start listening 4 Virgin Trains (438) 64% N to their passengers. Overcrowding is so bad that the very busiest trains are 5 East Coast (502) 59% 50% over capacity, and fares continue to rise. And with seven of the 17 rail franchises 6 London Overground (76) 58% ending in the next two years, operators need 7 Scotrail (343) 56% to respond to what customers want if they wish to keep their franchises. That means 8 CrossCountry (236) 52% giving value for money. Price increases have varied across the 9 East Midlands Trains (290) 50% UK, for example 3.1% on average for regulated fares (such as season tickets) 10 First TransPennine Express (344) 48% in England, to no price rise in Northern = Arriva Trains Wales (206) 48% Ireland, but what is certain is that many passengers are still feeling the pinch. 12 London Midland (407) 47% Reducing fares was the key priority for 60% of passengers who took part in our 13 Southern (557) 46% train satisfaction survey this year and value is key to how satisfied they are with = Northern Rail (504) 46% a train operator. The company that tops First Great Western (839) 45% our satisfaction survey is also seen to offer 15 the best value. Those at the bottom score = South West Trains (734) 45% poorly for value. Merseyrail’s 70% customer score is the 17 First Capital Connect (449) 41% highest we’ve seen in the three years we’ve carried out this survey and it’s the first 18 Greater Anglia (507) 40% train company to become a Which? = Southeastern (499) 40% Recommended Provider. It runs trains between 66 Merseyside stations and its leisure passengers give it the Sample size in brackets. Overall sample: 7,415. The average customer score for GB companies is 49%. Customer scores relate to both commuter and leisure journeys, and are based on overall satisfaction and the likelihood of thumbs up for value. Commuters pay more recommending them to a friend. First Hull Trains and Grand Central don’t appear in our overall table because they and are harder to please, but still think are not widely used by commuters. fares are satisfactory. They give it top marks Northern Ireland for frequency of service, and high scores Train services in Northern IReland are publicly owned and they’re regulated to services in the rest of the UK. We too for speed, punctuality and reliability. dierently to services in the rest of the UK. The top long-distance company is Grand Northern Ireland received responses from 138 users of Central, which runs trains from London to TrainWe received services responses in Northern from Ireland 138 users are of NorthernNorthern Ireland Ireland railways railways and andthey they get Yorkshire and the north-east. It’s rated publiclyget a customer owned scoreand regulated of 61%. differently a customer score of 61%. excellent value by leisure passengers. Southeastern, Greater Anglia and First NI Translink (138) 61% Capital Connect are seen as poor value, Sample size in brackets. Overall customer score is based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend to a friend, and relates to leisure and commuter journeys. especially by commuters, and also have the Sample size in brackets. Customer score is based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend to a friend, ILLUSTRATIONS BY: DEREK BACON, PAUL BUTT What do passengers lowest customer scores. and relates to both leisure and commuter journeys. WHAT PASSENGERS WANT We asked passengers to tell us the three ‘The journey into Liverpool was excellent and really want from most important things their train company could do to improve value and give them a very good value. There were several trains per better experience. We also asked what they’d hour and the information boards on the station be prepared to pay higher ticket prices for. Our survey reveals that passengers want kept you informed of the next train and how train companies? more than just cheaper fares. It also shows long it would be.’ Merseyrail customer 28 WHICH? MARCH 2014 www.which.co.uk www.which.co.uk MARCH 2014 WHICH? 29 INVESTIGATION | TRAINS SURVEY TRAINS SURVEY | INVESTIGATION that you can keep commuters and leisure moRe ToiLeTs CommUTER SERVICES RATED passengers happy, but few companies More toilets at stations Commuter manage to at the moment. Here is what and on trains is in the CUST These companies all serve London V they must do to rise up the rankings. top 10 of priorities for alue for money stations and carry more commuters OM C Cleanliness Punctuality passengers omm passengers. Keeping Frequency R E R R SC than leisure passengers eliability oom for PLenTy of Room toilets clean should be simple, but, while UTER O Getting a seat is the Virgin scores well with commuting C2C leads the way for commuter services, with RE priority for the 35% of and leisure passengers, Arriva Trains excellent punctuality and reliability. Passengers 1 C2C (37) HHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH HHH HHH 66% passengers who want their Wales, Southern, Southeastern and also like how frequent and clean the trains are. 2 LoNDON OVERGROUND (43) HHHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH HHH 59% train company to run South West Trains are rated poorly Customers praised London Overground for the 3 LoNDON MIDLAND (115) HHH HHH HH HH HH HHH 42% more carriages at peak times. Nearly half by leisure customers. condition of its trains and an impressive 45% said 4 SoUTHERN (168) HHH HHH HH HHH HH HH 40% (48%) of passengers wouldn’t mind paying the service has improved in the past two years. 5 SoUTH WEST TRAINS (243) HHH HHH HHH HHH HH H 39% more to guarantee a seat. ImPRovEMENTS ON TRACK? But passengers don’t think First Capital Connect, 6 FIRST CAPITAL CONNECT (145) H HHH HH HH HH H 37% Merseyrail and Scotrail get good The three companies that did least well Southeastern, South West Trains or Greater Anglia ‘The quality of the ancient 7 SoUTHEASTERN (164) HH HHH HHH HH HH H 35% ratings for the amount of room there in our survey said they’re taking steps provide good value. A quarter of commuters using trains used is shocking. 8 GREATER ANGLIA (130) H HHH HHH HHH HH H 34% is for sitting and standing in carriages. to deliver what passengers want. London Midland and Southeastern trains said Sample size in brackets. Customer score and star ratings based on commuter journeys only – these companies are more Virgin passengers are happy, and leisure seat cushions are always For instance, 29% of passengers want services have got worse in the past two years. likely to be used for commuter journeys. passengers on Grand Central and First more price promotions, such as off-peak Hull Trains give them excellent and good falling off and the floors or group travel deals. First Capital Connect marks. But all companies that run are often dirty and sticky.’ ran an off-peak fare sale at the start of 2014, commuter routes in the south of England Greater Anglia customer but is also investing more in cleaning trains LONG-DISTANCE SERVICES RATED are rated as poor for room, apart from and will have 40 new carriages by 2016. Long distance CUST V C2C and London Overground. Greater Anglia said that it has refreshed, These companies run fast long-distance alue for moneyOM passengers Cleanliness Frequency Punctuality ER Train companies may be victims of improved or upgraded three fleets of trains R R L services and carry more leisure than eliability oom for SC EISURE on-boaRd faCiLiTies old, inherited rolling stock, bad weather or and installed free wi-fi at 100 stations. O commuter passengers RE Passengers clearly want over-running engineering works, and any Southeastern said improving punctuality Grand Central, the winner in this category, is clearly more modern on-board of these can affect the service and how and reliability are priorities for 2014. 1 GRAND CENTRAL (40) HHHH HH HHHH HHHH HHHHH HHHHH 73% loved by passengers. They gave it high value-for- facilities – one in five want satisfied passengers are. And companies 2 FIRST HULL TRAINS (35) HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH 66% money scores, and 34% of its leisure passengers wi-fi offered as standard. with huge networks will inevitably have SHOULD YOU ComPLAIN? = VIRGIN TRAINS (341) HHHH HHHH HHHH HHHH HHH HHH 66% said its service improved in the past two years. It’s currently on some trains, for example more problems than those operating fewer Complaining about a poor service may 4 EAST CoAST (443) HHHH HHHH HHH HHHH HHH HHH 61% It runs direct services from London to Bradford East Coast and Virgin, but often it’s only stations on a contained part of the network. lead to improvements, but few of us bother 5 EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS (236) HHH HHH HHHH HHHH HHH HHH 54% and Sunderland and, like First Hull Trains which also free in first class and paid for in standard But there are things all train companies and, even when we do, half of us are 6 CROSS CoUNTRY (191) HHH HHH HH HHH HHH HHH 52% does well, is an open-access operator. This means class. Virgin passengers were happiest with can do to improve things for customers.