West Coast rail operator looks to bring industry-leading performance to East Coast

As it prepares its bid to run services on the East Coast rail route, independent research has once again shown Virgin Trains rated as best long-distance franchise operator for overall customer satisfaction and value for money.

Carried out twice a year by rail watchdog Passenger Focus, the National Passenger Survey is a key marker of train operating companies’ performance.

For the second survey in a row, passengers gave Virgin Trains the highest rating of any long-distance franchise operator when asked about how satisfied they were with their overall journey - 90% of those questioned rated Virgin Trains as ‘satisfactory’ or ‘good’.

For the sixth survey in a row, passengers rated Virgin Trains as offering the best value-for-money of any long-distance franchise operator - 63% of those questioned rated Virgin Trains as ‘satisfactory’ or ’good’.

Paul Furze-Waddock, Virgin Trains’ Business Development Director said:

‘To see that our customers consistently rate us so highly is a fantastic endorsement of the Virgin Trains approach, which combines financial stability with investment, innovation and customer service.

Virgin Trains brought a fresh approach to the rail industry when we won the West Coast franchise in 1997. To be honest, people thought it was mad for rail novices at Virgin to be so ambitious, with our plans for tilting trains and shorter journey times. But we delivered.

Now we’re meeting as many people as possible on the East Coast to develop ideas for improvements on that route and intend to put in a strong proposal to the Department for Transport for running East Coast services. We’re delivering for West Coast passengers, now we want to do the same for those using the East Coast.’