More passengers are satisfied with their East Midlands Trains service than ever before, according to the latest independent national passenger survey issued today.

The results of the survey, released today by transport watchdog Passenger Focus, show overall satisfaction has increased to 89%, marking the highest ever level of passenger satisfaction and showing a 2% year on year increase in satisfaction.

The Stagecoach-owned train operator saw an increase in 29 different categories, with significant increases in satisfaction with station facilities and the train fleet.

Around £10 million has now been invested in East Midlands Trains stations and the survey demonstrated that satisfaction in this area has also increased to a significant 89%.  This marks a 6% year on year increase in overall station satisfaction. 

In addition, passengers rated ticket buying facilities very highly, with satisfaction increasing from 79% to 87%.  This follows a programme of investment that has seen the installation of around 100 additional ticket machines across the route to make it easier for passengers to buy and collect their tickets.  Station cleanliness also scored highly, with overall satisfaction in this area increasing by 4% to 86%.

East Midlands Trains station teams were also praised by passengers.  91% of passengers were satisfied with how their request to station staff was handled, marking a 2% year on year increase, and 81% were happy with the helpfulness of station staff, a 4% year on year increase. 

One of the biggest increases related to how well East Midlands Trains dealt with delays, and satisfaction in this area increased by a significant 17% year on year.

Following the completion of East Midlands Trains’ £30 million fleet investment programme, which has seen all 93 of the company’s trains completely refurbished, 87% of passengers expressed overall satisfaction with the train. Exterior train cleanliness increased by 2% year on year, whilst satisfaction with interior cleanliness went up from 82% to 84%.

David Horne, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “We’re all really proud to have achieved our highest ever level of passenger satisfaction.  Our staff are committed to working hard day in, day out, to provide the best level of service for our passengers and these results are great recognition of their work.

“We are still determined to keep improving further and hope that our huge station and train investment programme, and the continued commitment of our people to provide excellent customer service, will see these results grow and grow.”