Off the rails: Just 1 in 4 of us trust train companies
JUST one in four train passengers trust the nation’s rail companies in the wake of cancellations, delays, crowded carriages and soaring fares, a survey suggests.
The damning verdict adds doubt to claims from industry bosses that rising passenger numbers in recent years mean they must be doing a good job.
But most passengers are effectively captive customers having suffered a ‘decade of disappointment’ and ‘unprecedented disruption’ over the last year, consumer group Which? says.
Only 23 per cent of people said that they trusted train companies, analysis of official data from a transport watchdog showed.
The figures have seen a six percentage point drop from last year and it means rail companies are the least trusted of all transportrelated businesses, apart from car dealers. Over the last decade, passenger satisfaction with punctuality and reliability also fell by six percentage points, from 79 per cent to 73 per cent. For commuters, the number dropped by ten percentage points over the same period from 72 per cent to 62 to per cent.
In this time, ticket prices increased by 40 per cent – more than one and a half times higher than the overall rate of CPI inflation – 26 per cent.
And now trust in the industry is approaching its lowest point in the last six years after months of disruption for Northern and Govia Thameslink (GTR), Which? said.
Peter Vicary-Smith, of Which?, said: ‘With persistent poor service, delays, cancellations and the hassle of getting compensation, it’s unsurprising that trust in the rail industry has been consistently low and is only getting worse.
‘If the rail system is to have any hope of recovering passengers’ trust, the Government must step in to ensure that they are automatically compensated for delays and cancellations.’
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, apologised for recent disruption but said ‘once-in-a-generation investment’ will see 98p in every pound spent on train fares invested back into the railway.