Commuters happier with Great Northern than they were with First Capital Connect, claims report

Passenger satisfaction with trains connecting Welwyn Hatfield and Potters Bar to London has improved since the service changed hands, a newly published survey shows.

According to the rail watchdog Transport Focus, 80 per cent of passengers on Govia’s Great Northern route polled between January 18 and March 29 were “very satisfied” or “fairly satisfied”, up three per cent from the same period in 2014, when First Group held the franchise.

Passenger satisfaction on the route is better than the London and South-east average, and roughly equal to the national level.

By contrast, on Govia’s neighbouring Thameslink route, serving St Albans and Luton, satisfaction has plunged thanks to a spate of delays and cancellations caused by a burst water main and redevelopment of London Bridge station.

Consequently, overall satisfaction for Govia, operator of both routes since September, has fallen three per cent from last year.

Great Northern passenger service director Keith Jipps said: “A lot of passenger satisfaction is driven by how punctual our trains are.

“Thanks to Network Rail’s improvements on the route, the work we have done to improve the reliability of our trains and additional drivers, this has been getting better, although still more needs to be done.

“We’ve also been focusing really hard on improving the other elements that matter so much to our passengers, which is helpful, pleasant staff, cleaner trains and better service information.

“Over the next few years we will be making still further service improvements with new trains, smart cards and station enhancements.”