Autumn 2015 National Rail Passenger Survey results published

The autumn 2015 National Rail Passenger Survey results have been published by independent rail watchdog, Transport Focus.

Southern’s overall satisfaction rating was 78% - an increase of 1%.

The survey was undertaken when punctuality was poor, which was due to a number of reasons, including track and signal failures, a poor leaf fall season, train reliability, train crew availability and incidents beyond our control such as trespass on the railway and lorries hitting bridges.

This railway bridge at Tulse Hill was struck by lorries seven times during the survey period causing major disruption to services

Our network is undergoing a period of transformation which, when complete will deliver a step-change in service provision. However, during the period of improvement work, any delay is quickly amplified, particularly during the peak, when as many trains as possible are run to provide the maximum capacity for passengers.

Whilst it is encouraging that we scored better overall this year over last, we are still a long way off where we would like to be. Clearly poor performance links heavily with overall satisfaction, but we are working closely with Network Rail on a programme of improvements to track and signalling systems and we are also working hard to improve our own performance to give our passengers a more reliable and punctual service.

From the end of February Gatwick Express customers will see the introduction of a new Gatwick Express train fleet with wider doors for easier boarding/alighting, power sockets and on-train Wi-Fi. From the summer onwards, we will be introducing a raft of other improvements which will be of huge benefit to passengers.

If your journey has been delayed by 30 minutes or more - regardless of the reason, you can claim compensation through our Delay Repay scheme. More details are on our Delay Repay page.