In the latest survey conducted by rail watchdog Passenger Focus, 89% of passengers expressed satisfaction with London’s publicly owned rail service, 6% more than those praising private train services operating within the capital.
The number of passengers who said they were satisfied with on-train security increased from 64 per cent in the previous survey to 81 per cent, while those happy with train cleanliness increased from 73 to 94 per cent.
The London Overground was created in 2007 when Transport for London took over the Silverlink franchise.
Since then the capital’s transport authority has invested millions of pounds in station upgrades and security improvements. Passengers are also benefitting from a fleet of new air-conditioned trains and full integration with the Oyster ticketing system.
In May the service was confirmed by Network Rail as Britain’s most punctual surface rail service.
Welcoming the survey results, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “These hugely impressive results are the ones that really matter because they are the voice of the passengers who are now benefiting from vastly improved services.
“We will not stop trying to improve on what we do but reaching these levels of passenger satisfaction is what all the hard work and investment during the last three years has been about.
The Mayor said the service’s increased performance and rising user satisfaction “demonstrates exactly why I believe my office and TfL should be given a greater say in franchising of the private train companies who run services in the capital.”
Mike Brown, Managing Director of Transport for London’s Rail Division, said: “I’m pleased we are delivering to passengers an efficient, reliable and safe service. These results show what can be done with a combination of investment, planning and hard work.”
