Ref:32/09 Date:29June 2009Release:Embargoed until 30 June 2009 9.30am
Passengers in Wales believe they are getting a better deal on the railway with 87% of Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) passengers saying they are satisfied with their journey. The Spring 2009 National Passenger Survey (NPS) has today revealed passenger satisfaction with ATW rail services is six points higher than the Great Britain score of 81%.
Commenting on the National Passenger Survey, Passenger Focus welcomed results which found that passengers travelling on Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) are increasingly happy with value for money, scores up from 53% to 60%.
Passengers have also noticed improvements with stations but results still lag behind Great Britain results. Passengers reported improvements to information they receive on train times and platforms (80%), upkeep/repair of buildings and platforms (58%), cleanliness (62%), overall station and environment (58%) and availability of staff (54%). Satisfaction with facilities and services at the station increased from 31% to 39%.
Stella Mair Thomas, Passenger Focus board member for Wales, said: “It is pleasing to see that satisfaction with many areas of ATW’s performance has improved significantly on a year ago, particularly with regards to stations. We have been highlighting the low levels of passenger satisfaction with stations in Wales, so it is good to see that infrastructure investment and other initiatives are starting to turn these views round.
“It is important, especially given the challenges of the current economic climate that these efforts continue so that this improvement is sustained and built upon.”
Simon Pickering, Passenger Focus manager for Wales, commented: “The Spring 2009 NPS results show the rail experience for passengers in Wales is getting better, with improved scores on both ATW and First Great Western. However, passenger satisfaction scores with stations show there is still work to be done. We hope that these train companies don’t drop the ball and continue to put passengers’ needs first.”
ENDS
Key results for train operators that serve Wales include:
% satisfied or good (+/- indicates if this is a significant improvement or decline compared to spring 08)Arriva Trains Wales / First Great Western / Virgin Trains / CrossCountry
STATION FACILITIES
Overall satisfaction / 87 / 81(+9) / 86 / 85
Ticket buying facilities / 71 / 77 (+6) / 81 / 84
Provision of information about train times/platforms / 80 (+6) / 78 (+5) / 87 / 86 (+5)
The upkeep/ repair of the station buildings/ platforms / 58 (+8) / 65 (+4) / 70 / 68 (+8)
Cleanliness / 62 (+9) / 70 (+4) / 74 / 75 (+6)
Facilities and services at stations / 39 (+8) / 59 (+5) / 64 / 64
The attitudes and helpfulness of station staff / 71 / 70 / 74 / 79
Connections with other forms of public transport / 62 / 72 (+5) / 79 / 73
Facilities for car parking / 53 / 54 (+6) / 46 / 59
Overall station environment / 58 / 67 / 70 / 74 (+7)
Your personal security whilst using station facilities / 59 / 67 (+5) / 71 / 73
The availability of staff / 54 (+8) / 59 (+4) / 61 / 67
How a request to station staff was handled / 89 / 85 / 86 / 87
TRAIN FACILITIES
The frequency of the trains on that route / 77 / 75 (+6) / 85 / 80
Punctuality/ reliability / 85 / 80 (+13) / 79 (-6) / 87 (+9)
The length of time the journey was scheduled to take (speed) / 87 / 83 (+7) / 92 (+5) / 86
Connections with other train services / 77 / 71 (+6) / 77 / 77
The value for money for the price of your ticket / 60 (+7) / 46 (+6) / 57 / 51
Up keep and repair of the train / 75 / 74 (+7) / 90 / 83
The provision of information during the journey / 65 / 64 (+10) / 80 / 79 (+5)
The helpfulness and attitude of staff on the train / 79 / 66 (+10) / 76 / 80 (+5)
Space for luggage / 63 (+8) / 53 / 51 / 51
The toilet facilities / 44 / 45 (+10) / 56 / 55
Sufficient room for all passengers to sit/stand / 76 / 67 (+4) / 77 (+11) / 72 (+11)
Comfort of the seating area / 77 / 70 (+7) / 80 / 79 (+4)
The ease of being able to get on and off / 83 / 76 (+4) / 84 / 81
Your personal security whilst on board the train / 79 / 77 (+6) / 85 / 80
The cleanliness of the inside / 78 / 73 (+8) / 88 / 82
The cleanliness of the outside / 74 (+14) / 70 (+6) / 82 / 79 (+5)
The availability of staff / 70 / 45 (+9) / 66 / 67 (+8)
How well the train company dealt with delays / 44 / 39 (+7) / 54 / 52
1. Full results of the Spring 2009 wave of the National Passenger Survey are available to download from
- Over 26,000 passengers are surveyed for each wave of the National Passenger Survey. Two waves (spring and autumn) are conducted each year
- The National Passenger Survey provides a network-wide picture of passengers’ satisfaction with rail travel. Passenger opinions of train services are collected twice a year from a representative sample of passenger journeys
- Passengers’ overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can therefore be compared over time
- Fieldwork took place between 31 January and 9 April 2009
- Ratings for each individual Train Operating Company are available, as well as ratings for each sector, i.e. London and the South East, long distance and regional operators.
2. Media enquiries regarding this release should be addressed to:
Krista Hamblin
Press Officer
Telephone: 0300123 6021
E-mail
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