Caledonian Sleeper fails to reach any passenger satisfaction targets
A Caledonian Sleeper train has broken down leaving passengers hundreds of miles from their destination as it was revealed the service has failed to hit satisfaction targets since operator Serco took over five years ago.
Some 140 passengers on the Edinburgh/glasgow-london train were forced to get off in Wigan at 7:30am yesterday – nearly half an hour after they should have arrived at Euston, 200 miles away.
Door faults are believed to have been the cause of the latest in a long line of problems with the Sleeper’s new £150 million fleet.
The incident came as Scottish Labour obtained unpublished passenger ratings which showed flagging satisfaction even before the new carriages were launched last year – a year late.
In the most recent figures, 83 per cent polled were happy in 2018-19 compared to a target of 95 per cent.
The rating in the survey by watchdog Transport Focus compared to 85 per cent the previous year, when the target was 90 per cent. Targets were not met in 2015-16 or 2016-17 either.
Scottish Labour transport spokesman Colin Smyth said that, under its contract, Serco should have been stripped of its 15-year franchise after failing to hit the targets for three years in a row.
Transport secretary Michael Matheson told Mr Smyth:
“Caledonian Sleeper has not yet met the targets set for all aspects of the National Rail Passenger Satisfaction survey.
“In discussion with Transport Focus, it has become clear this is in part due to the mismatch of standard methodology with Sleeper operations.
“Caledonian Sleeper is working with Transport Focus to develop new survey metrics which will more accurately reflect the needs and expectations of passengers.”
But Mr Smyth said: “Rather than looking into the reasons why Sleeper services aren’t meeting passenger satisfaction targets, the transport secretary has decided to move the goal posts to make it easier.”
However, a spokesperson for the Scottish Government’s Transport Scotland agency, which controls the franchise, said: “There is no lowering of standards. The ultimate test of satisfaction is whether passengers chose to use the Sleeper. Bookings are at record levels and continue to grow.”
Caledonian Sleeper managing director Ryan Flaherty said: “Due to a technical fault our southbound Lowlander train terminated at Wigan. We’re sorry to those affected.
“We are constantly striving to improve every aspect of guest satisfaction.
“Whether it is improving onboard facilities or reducing delays, our team is working tirelessly to address key issues.
“In the last few months, we have seen significant improvement in several areas and expect that trend to continue.”