Rail passengers have ranked Midland Mainline, part of the National Express Group, as the UK”s most customer friendly long distance train operator, according to independent research.
The National Passenger Survey carried out by Passenger Focus, an independent national rail consumer watchdog, shows that 90% of passengers were either satisfied or very satisfied with their journey on Midland Mainline. This is the highest score the company has ever achieved and the top score out of all the long distance train operators.
The company also came top of its class for punctuality, scoring another 90% ” a 2% improvement on last year”s score which was also a poll topper.
Another top ranking score was achieved for dealing with delays, and the company also came joint first for station staff attitude, car parking facilities and response to requests at stations.
Out of all the UK's franchised train operators, including short distance operators, only sister company Gatwick Express achieved a higher overall satisfaction score at 92%.
Commenting on the survey results, Midland Mainline customer service director, Alex Warner said: ”This is marvellous news for the company and for all of our staff. To be polled top long distance operator for customer satisfaction is a great achievement and testimony to the hard work of our staff who are constantly striving for improvement. However, we will not be resting on our laurels, we will be looking to improve our scores even further over the next few months.”
National Express Group's Trains Division chief executive, David Franks, said: "This is great news for both Midland Mainline and National Express Group. These results clearly demonstrate our passion and drive to improve the service we give to our passengers, and we are very proud of Midland Mainline for topping the long distance league table for customer satisfaction."
The National Passenger Survey results follow the latest rail performance figures for the industry in which Midland Mainline was again ranked top performing long distance operator with a Public Performance Measure (PPM) of 92.9%, against a national level of 85.2%. Customer service officer, Simon Whittingham, has got into the act too (see above).
Midland Mainline's parent, National Express Group, is one of four bidders for the new East Midlands franchise that starts on 11 November and which also includes Arriva, First Group and Stagecoach. A franchise decision is expected in July.