Westcountry

The train firm which serves travellers in the Westcountry has been heavily criticised in a passenger satisfaction survey.

First Great Western (FGW) passengers rated the operator's service as being the worst in the country.

Independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus' autumn 2007 survey showed that only 74 per cent of customers were happy with the FGW service, compared with the national average of 81 per cent.

The findings also follow last week's announcement that FGW will double the compensation required under the Passenger Charter and will freeze its 2008 ticket prices because of its poor performance in 2007.

Only 65 per cent of passengers said FGW trains ran on time, compared with 73 per cent in autumn 2006.

"There is a strong correlation between punctuality and passenger satisfaction and improving performance in this area should be a number one priority for FGW if it is to regain the support of passengers," a spokesperson for Passenger Focus said.

Andrew Haines, FGW: "We've not given customers the service they deserve over the last 12 months, and we're sorry."

Passenger Focus' research revealed nine key areas of the FGW service had dropped in quality in the eyes of its customers.

These included the helpfulness and attitudes of staff on the train, which decreased from 67 per cent to 58 per cent, the lowest rate for over four years.

The operator did, however, improve its rating in the area of ticket buying facilities, up 8 per cent to 72 per cent.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: "Passengers' assessment of FGW's poor performance comes in the wake of fare increases introduced in the new-year and their feedback should be a serious wake-up call."

FGW chief operating officer, Andrew Haines, acknowledged that the company needed to improve its performance.

He said: "We've not given customers the service they deserve over the last 12 months, and we're sorry.

"We want to do the right thing by our customers. We are working with Network Rail to help us deliver a better service, but I recognise the promise of a better service tomorrow is little consolation for poor performance.

"I want this to send a clear message that we take our performance commitments seriously."

Mr Haines also said the company was investing more than £200m on trains and stations.

FGW links the South West of England with London.

The Passenger Focus survey, which was conducted at around 650 UK stations between September 1 and December 9, 2007, revealed that South West Trains had improved its performance.

The company's approval rating jumped 3 per cent to 85 per cent.