Virgin trains rated top long-distance franchise

Virgin Trains has been rated best long-distance franchise operator for overall satisfaction – in the latest Spring 2011 National Passenger Survey.

For the third survey in a row, passengers gave Virgin Trains the highest rating of any long-distance franchise operator when asked how satisfied they were with their overall journey, said Tony Collins, Virgin Trains chief executive officer.

Ninety per cent of those questioned rated Virgin Trains as satisfactory or good.

Figures for punctuality continue to soar, with 92 per cent of customers giving Virgin Trains satisfied/good ratings (up from 89 per cent for the same time last year), and 94 per cent awarding top marks for journey times. Once again, these figures are the highest for any long-distance train operating franchise.

Overall satisfaction with the station environment remains well ahead of the sector average, with 82 per cent of customers giving a satisfied/good rating. The train environment performs ahead of the sector average in all areas with improvements in comfort, cleanliness and personal security. It’s also a big thumbs up for Virgin Trains’ staff with helpfulness and attitude of on train staff and provision of information during journey, rated 80 percent and 81 per cent respectively, Mr Collins said.

Other highlights include how requests to staff were handled (86 per cent), cleanliness of the inside (88 per cent, upkeep and repair (89 per cent) and the ease of being able to get on and off (87 per cent).

In terms of overall satisfaction on Virgin Trains’ routes, London-Scotland was the most improved, with 93 per cent of customers giving a satisfied/good rating.

Across the industry, value for money for price of ticket scores poorly. While Virgin Trains received some of the best scores on this measure, only 59 per cent of customers rated the company good or satisfactory. This is a disappointing result given the amount of work that has been done to improve and promote the availability of our many thousands of excellent value Advance fares on offer every week.

Mr Collins, says: “I’m absolutely delighted that Virgin Trains has been voted top long-distance franchise operator.

“The start of this year was extremely challenging for us with some of the harshest weather conditions experienced under our stewardship of the West Coast franchise. We worked round-the-clock to limit disruption during this time and I think these results reflect our efforts.

“Passenger numbers have doubled from 14 million a year to over 28 million a year in the last six years and I would like to thank our passengers for this vote of confidence and pay tribute to the Virgin Trains’ people who continue to raise the bar in terms of the service they deliver.”

He said the company recognised there were areas where it could do more, such as at stations, and he assured customers that for the remainder of the franchise they will be focusing on providing them with best and most reliable service. We are continuing to work with Network Rail to keep a real focus on train performance.

The National Passenger Survey is carried out twice a year – in Spring and Autumn – by rail watchdog Passenger Focus and is a key marker of train operating companies’ performance.