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EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS SPARKED FEWEST COMPLAINTS LAST YEAR

EAST Midlands Trains is the least complained-about train company in the UK, new figures show.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has revealed that the train company received 57 complaints per 100,000 journeys in the past year, a low score matched only by Transport for Wales.

However, complaints about East Midlands Trains are still at their highest level since 2015 and the latest figure is 11 per cent higher than the previous year’s.

Most of the complaints were about the lack of room for passengers to sit and stand, followed by punctuality and reliability of trains.

Other complaints were about facilities on board and the attitude and helpfulness of train and station staff.

The increase in the number of complaints last year could be down to the Midland Main Line Upgrade, which caused delays through Derby train station.

An East Midlands Trains spokesman said: “Our teams right across the network work hard to provide all of our customers with safe, dependable and comfortable journeys.

“We have been the UK’s most punctual long-distance train operator for nearly a decade and we have worked in partnership with others across the country to improve our trains and stations as much as possible.

“However, we understand things do go wrong from time to time and when that happens we aim to make it as easy as possible for customers to let us know so we can learn and continue to make things better.”

The most complained-about rail operator is Grand Central, which runs passenger services on the East Coast Main Line from Sunderland to London King’s Cross and from Bradford Interchange to King’s Cross. Last year it was receiving 244 complaints per 100,000 journeys.

Nationally, the most common type of complaint was about punctuality and reliability, making up almost a quarter of all complaints.

Despite a slight increase in complaints overall, the National Rail Passenger Survey found that passenger satisfaction with the railway rose to 83 per cent in spring this year, up significantly from spring 2018 (81 per cent) and autumn 2018 (79 per cent).

Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: “At long last, passenger satisfaction has begun to improve, buoyed in particular by a keener focus on improved reliability and the arrival of new trains on some routes.”

The complaint statistics compiled by the ORR do not include complaints made over social media.