17.01.17
‘Enough is enough’ as Southern drops to 21% passenger satisfaction
Strike-hit Southern has received its lowest ever score in an annual rail survey, finishing bottom for customer satisfaction after an annus horribilis for the operator.
A survey of 2,215 commuters for consumer magazine Which? found that almost half (46%) of 256 recent Southern passengers reported that their last journey had been delayed.
Overall, the operator achieved an abysmal score of just 21%, dropping from 44% the previous year, receiving one-star ratings for punctuality, reliability, seat availability, frequency and value for money.
Vickie Sheriff, director of campaigns and communications for Which?, said that it was “no surprise” to see Southern at the bottom of the survey after months of disruption, while the franchise’s owner Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) admitted that its passengers “deserve better”.
“Though Southern have performed particularly badly this year, the whole sector is continually failing passengers,” Sheriff said.
“Overcrowding, delays, short trains, carriages in poor condition – many services aren’t providing even the basics,” she added. “Enough is enough – we need rail services that finally deliver for their passengers.”
Southeastern finished second-bottom in the survey with 31% after scoring one star for seat availability. Thameslink and Great Northern – also owned by GTR – was seen as the third-worst operator with 32%, scoring one star for train frequency and carriage condition.
The top achieving operator was Merseyrail whose five-star ratings for reliability and frequency gave it an overall score of 72%. Virgin Trains West Coast finished second with 69% and East Midlands Trains third with 67%.
A GTR spokesman said that the survey reflects the “wholly unjustified” strikes being taken by Aslef and RMT - due to resume next week -, knock-on delays from the redevelopment of London Bridge, and performance issues on Great Northern.
“Our passengers deserve better and, together with Network Rail and its £300m funding package to improve track signalling and overall performance, we’re working hard to improve the service,” the spokesman said.
Jacqueline Starr, managing director of customer experience for the Railway Delivery Group, which represents rail operators, stressed that it was “not true that the whole railway is failing passengers”, casting doubt on the small sample size of the survey.
However, she admitted that train operators know they must do better to improve services for passengers.
“Four in five passengers were satisfied with their train journey in the last independent nationwide survey, which asks more than 10 times as many passengers as Which?, but rail companies know they can improve,” Starr said.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an RTM columnist? If so, click here.