The release of the NPS, published every six months by UK rail watchdog Passenger Focus, shows improvements to passenger satisfaction with c2c (91%), First Great Western (81%), TransPennine Express (87%) and London Overground (75%). Heathrow Express (92%), MerseyRail (91%), Chiltern Railways (90%) and Heathrow Connect (90%), along with c2c, all continue to be strong performers. “Over the coming months we are introducing significant enhancements to our service which will demonstrate that Heathrow Express is an evolving brand. All our efforts are directed to making the journey better and we know that if we continue to improve and develop our service, we will attract more customers on to our trains,” commented the survey Richard Robinson, Managing Director at Heathrow Express.

According the survey, punctuality and reliability continue to cause concerns for some passengers. For example, following the problems on the West Coast Mainline, satisfaction with punctuality and reliability has fallen by six points to 79% on Virgin Trains and eight points to 70% on London Midland.

“Network Rail and the train operators must continue to focus on these problematic routes to restore passenger faith,” the report says.

For the first time the NPS also sets out passenger satisfaction with stations which Network Rail manage. Of Britain’s major railway stations, St Pancras, serving First Capital Connect to Luton Airport and East Midlands Trains to East Midlands Airport, is the new passenger favourite, pushing Manchester Piccadilly into second place.

“Across Great Britain passengers continue to be broadly satisfied with their train services. However, Virgin Trains and London Midland passengers are fed up with not being able to rely on the timekeeping of their services, the key thing us passengers want. Network Rail and these train companies must stay focused on restoring their passengers’ trust in the timetable,” said Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus CEO.

“Passengers have clearly said they like the new St Pancras. This shows what big investment can achieve. Now let’s have more of Britain’s busy stations being restored and revitalised like St Pancras.”

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