Here’s how much more satisfied we are with train travel than a decade ago
Satisfaction with train services have barely improved over the last decade, despite a huge rise in the cost of travelling on Britain's railways, according to new research.
Since 2006, satisfaction has inched up to 48 per cent, from 41 per cent, while fares have risen 54 per cent in the same time and more than double the rate of inflation, data from Which? reveals.
“Despite repeated claims that the railways are improving, passengers say that rail travel offers little more value for money than a decade ago. What’s more, people have found even less of an improvement in the way train companies handle delays," said the consumer group's director Richard Lloyd.
The research found that satisfaction with how delays are handled showed even less improvement over the last 10 years, increasing just four percentage points.
The watchdog last year filed a so-called super complaint with the Office for Rail and Road over the difficulty consumers face claiming for delayed and cancelled journeys. The ORR concluded steps need to be taken to make it easier to claim compensation. It found that 80 per cent of customers currently do.
"This is an unacceptably slow pace of change, so the government must quickly now give the rail regulator the powers and duties it needs to be an independent consumer watchdog that can hold train operators to account,” added Lloyd.
For commuters, satisfaction increased from 27 per cent in 2006 to 34 per cent in the most recent survey of passengers.
Check out how satisfaction has improved on your rail network over the last decade, below.
