Railway passenger satisfaction the lowest in 10 years

That’s the finding of a new survey from consumer advocacy group Which?, which said that the number of people satisfied with the punctuality of trains in Britain had fallen by five percentage points to its lowest level in 10 years at 72%.

At the same time, just over a third of Britons were happy with how rail operators were dealing with delays, and 46% were satisfied with the handling of complaints by train companies.

Those two figures were lower a decade ago at 32% and 42% respectively.

“Our analysis highlights that the rail industry has been failing its passengers, particularly in the way they handle delays and manage complaints,” said Which? Spokesperson Alex Hayman.

“This just isn't good enough for the millions of people who are reliant on rail services on a daily basis.”

Which? used the survey as an opportunity to call on the government to bring in a dedicated rail ombudsman, in a bid to improve the way complaints and disputes are handled.

It was a policy promoted by the Liberal Democrats before the general election in June.

The survey also came at the end of a tumultuous week for the rail industry, with operator Govia - majority-owned by FTSE 250 firm Go-Ahead - agreeing to fund £13.4m in improvement works after commuters on its Southern routes were forced to suffer more than a year of industrial action and delays

Soon after that announcement, it emerged workers on Southern had voted to walk out for three more days in one week in August, adding to the commuter misery.