Sharp rise in rail travel complaints

Dissatisfaction with rail services has increased, with passengers in some regions making up to 30 per cent more complaints than the previous year, figures revealed yesterday.

The Rail Passengers Council, the main passenger rail group, received 14,628 complaints in the year ending March 2002 ­ a rise of 3 per cent on the previous year.

Train performance and service quality accounted for 35 per cent of complaints, while redress and reimbursement represented 35 per cent.

The next biggest cause for complaint was station facilities (13 per cent). Fares and tickets accounted for 6 per cent.

Complaints in eastern England rose by 34 per cent, mainly because of the "inadequate" services provided by the London to Tilbury and Southend train company, c2c. Complaints from passengers in Wales increased by 31 per cent.

Stewart Francis, chairman of the passengers council, said: "Many train companies have hauled themselves up in terms of performance. However, these do not cancel out the sheer frustration that using the rail network still causes to so many passengers.

"The basic building blocks of an industry structure that might be capable of delivering what passengers and taxpayers need are being put in place.

"There have been many good things that started to happen this year for passengers but there simply have not been enough of them." Passenger complaints in western England rose 21 per cent. Those by Midlands' travellers were down by 17 per cent.