Commuters are happier with train services on South West Trains according to a recent independent survey.
Watchdog Transport Focus found overall customer satisfaction had gone up to 81%, with services maintained or improved in 30 of 37 categories including stations; car parking facilities; and train frequency, findings revealed on Wednesday (January 27),
The trainline serves parts of west London including passengers on the Hounslow Loop - Feltham, Twickenham, Whitton and Hounslow, which saw peak services doubled in mid-December resulting in 57,000 extra seats.
The move is part of an ongoing investment by the company which will see a further £50m customer service improvements planned for 2016-17 and will include the introduction of new customer ambassadors, the roll-out of 170 new ticket machines and more car parking at busy stations.
Results from the recent survey recorded satisfaction was up 4% to 80% at stations; up 3% for train frequency with the roll-out of 108 extra refurbished carriages almost complete; and an extra 2% of passengers said they were pleased with car parking facilities as well as trains themselves.
Ticket buying and waiting shelters were both rated highly by customers at an additional 1% and 3% respectively.
Arthur Pretorius, customer service director for South West Trains, said: “It’s good news that customer satisfaction with our services has increased. This is a credit to our employees who work hard to deliver the best service for our customers.
“Over the next year, we will be investing around £50 million in a range of customer benefits, with the introduction of new customer ambassadors to deliver a more personalised service, the roll-out of 170 new easy to use ticket machines, extra car parking spaces at key stations and new technology to make it easier for customers to travel with us.”
In partnership with Network Rail, South West Trains will also be delivering big improvements on the network which will boost peak-time capacity by 30% by May 2018; and a £210m fleet of new trains are to be introduced from 2017 with major improvements to London Waterloo station.
