'First Great Western on the right track, rail survey shows'

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Train passengers in Oxfordshire have something to smile about, according to a report from a rail watchdog.

The latest National Passenger Survey, published this week, shows that 81 per cent of First Great Western customers were happy with the firm^s service ^ an increase of nine per cent on the results for spring last year and matching the overall national satisfaction rate.

And Chiltern Railways, which links Banbury, Bicester North, Haddenham & Thame Parkway and London Marylebone, was among the firms achieving the highest satisfaction rates. Chiltern got 90 per cent, behind Heathrow Express (92 per cent) and Merseyrail (91 per cent). This was an increase of one per cent on its score a year ago.

The highest mark of all ^ 97 per cent ^ was achieved by Wrexham & Shropshire, which launched its services linking Banbury with the West Midlands and North Wales last year and appears in the survey for the first time.

Long-distance operator CrossCountry, which serves Oxford and Banbury, saw its rating rise from 84 per cent to 85 per cent.

The survey is compiled by public transport watchdog Passenger Focus, whose passenger manager for South-West England, Mike Greedy, said: ^First Great Western has done well to improve its overall satisfaction score. It has clearly made improvements in a number of key areas, including punctuality and reliability, frequency, facilities and services at the station. However, passenger opinion of value for money continues to be low, with only 46 per cent of passengers saying they are satisfied with the price of their ticket.^

Chris Bates, a spokesman for the Cherwell Rail Users Group, said: ^There^s not much change from Chiltern Railways, which continues to keep up the good work. Eighteen months ago, First Great Western was near the bottom of the table in terms of customer satisfaction but there have been major improvements. Over the past 12 months they have invested money in their trains to make sure their trains are clean and on time and passengers are starting to notice. First Great Western should be congratulated for the improvements but needs to keep its finger on the pulse.^

Mr Bates, a photographer for a music magazine, uses trains run by both firms to travel to London.

First Great Western said customers particularly welcomed improvements to the reliability and punctuality of services, the condition of its trains, and the welcome at its stations.

Last month, more than 94 per cent of FGW^▸ services arrived on time, with 91.2 per cent of trains on time over the past 12 months.

FGW managing director Mark Hopwood said: ^Our timetable changes in May saw us increasing services on parts of our network, including the introduction of Sunday services between Oxford and Bicester Town. We^re delighted by these results, but this isn^t a time to sit back, and we^re already working on building on our recent improvements.^

More than 26,000 passengers nationwide are surveyed in spring and autumn each year.