Shadow Strategic Rail Authority

Rise in rail complaints causes concern
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date 25 August 1999
source Shadow Strategic Rail Authority
type Press release

Today's publication by the Rail Regulator of new figures recording an 8% rise
in passenger complaints to train operating companies shows that there is still
much to be done to improve quality of service on the railway. The figures must
be viewed against a continuing rise in the numbers of people travelling by rail
- up around 5% in the same period.

Commenting on the findings of the latest Rail Complaints Bulletin, Nick
Newton, the SSRA's Executive Director for Franchise Management said:

" Like the Regulator, we expect operators to provide all round excellence for
their passengers. This extends beyond the vitally important operational
performance, which still accounts for over half of all complaints, and into other
important areas such as retailing standards and train cleanliness, which from
these figures, are disappointing and not up to scratch across all of the
network.

" The SSRA currently tracks customer perception in many areas via individual
periodic customer satisfaction surveys and recently awarded a three year
contract for a National Passenger Survey to obtain passenger feedback on
the full network picture.

" It is encouraging to see the improvements in speed of response to
complaints and it is vital that the industry acts on the complaints it receives.
One way or another, the railway must deliver improvements in service quality
so that it meets and exceeds the needs of its customers."

Railhub Archive ::: 1999-08-25 SRA-002