Just 1 in 5 say rail service is better

ONLY a fifth of commuters have noticed any improvement in their train service over the past year, according to consumer watchdog Which?

Despite the highest fare rise in five years and seemingly endless engineering works, 13 per cent believe their service is actually worse.

And two-thirds think it has stayed the same, while just 20 per cent said they have seen improvements. It comes after private railway investment hit £925million last year – the highest in a decade.

Commuters who took part in the poll identified Southern as the worst rail service for the third consecutive year.

The franchise has been plagued by strikes for almost two years and been disrupted by major engineering works.

All of the bottom three, which also included South Eastern and Thameslink & Great Northern, are owned by Govia.

Grand Central fared best for customer service and frequency of trains.