Hull Trains tops region in latest Rail Customer Satisfaction Surveys

One of the new Hitachi trains which are due to enter service between Hull and London later this year.

HULL Trains has topped the charts for customer satisfaction in our region, according to two independent surveys.

In what has been a very difficult year for rail travellers in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, with significant timetabling and train problems across the network, Hull Trains has made important strides to improve the reliability of its fleet and is once again ranked as one of the top train operators in the UK.

In a testing 12 months for the company and its customers, and with more challenges ahead until its new fleet of trains arrives in the autumn, the statistics from the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) and ‘Which?’ are testament to what can be achieved if the company can maintain its fleet reliability and punctuality.  

Throughout the summer last year, and since the turn of this year, train service reliability and punctuality improved significantly following a number of unrelated operational challenges that resulted in an unprecedented number of cancellations for the Hull-based firm.

However, in the latest published figures, Hull Trains received a total satisfaction rating of 91% in the NRPS, which is 10% higher than the average of other long-distance train operators.  The majority of the areas, which include the attitude and helpfulness of the staff and the on-board facilities, are more than 10% higher than the average for all other long-distance operators – no surprise for a company that prides itself on its onboard experience.

Scores included:

• A 96% satisfaction rating for the helpfulness and attitude of staff
• The cleanliness of the train rated at 92%
• Improvements in information provision

These scores follow the results of a ‘Which?’ Survey last week, in which Hull Trains ranked third out of all other operators for customer satisfaction. It showed high levels of overall satisfaction in the service delivered by staff and the overall customer experience, including value for money. The open access operator ranks with four stars out of five in most sections in the ‘Which?’ survey.  This is positive news for the Hull and East Yorkshire region and shows the strength and demand of a direct link to London from the region.

With £60-million of investment in a new fleet of Hitachi Class 802 bi-modal trains, Hull Trains is working hard to deliver on its promised timetable throughout 2019, but this won’t be without its challenges as its fleet of four Class 180 trains have experienced poor operational performance in at least six of the last 12-months.  With the introduction of an InterCity High Speed Train (HST) into its fleet in the next few weeks, it is hoped that this will bring more reliability to the operator, who has always put customer satisfaction at the heart of its operation.

Local Rail Development Consultant, David Walford, welcomed the news: “The rail network has been through a very difficult period in the last 12 months and travellers from our region have experienced difficulties with all three of our main operators: Hull Trains, Northern and TransPennine.  However, what both of these independent reports show is that if train companies invest in their fleet and their people, customer satisfaction levels do increase.  Hull Trains is critical to our region’s economy and I know everyone desperately wants to support this operator.  I also know how hard its team is working to sort out the problems of the recent past.

“Without Hull Trains, we would be left with just one return service to London each day, as no other operator would be awarded these paths on the East Coast Main Line, so it is imperative that its trains work and its team continues to please customers day in, day out.  Winning customer confidence by improving reliability and punctuality is key to success and all three of our region’s operators need to focus on that, ahead of anything else.

“We all greatly look forward to the introduction of Hull Trains’ HST in the coming weeks to strengthen its fleet and the new state of the art Hitachi fleet later this year. This will help to transform rail travel to London and increase the number of seats between Hull, East Yorkshire and the capital.”