94% of passengers give Grand Central the thumbs up!

Congratulations to all at Grand Central for this good ( but not unexpected if you`ve been following Southside`s coverage of the company ) news.  www.grandcentralrail.com  for further info
Figures released today by Passenger Focus reveal that 94% of Grand Central passengers were satisfied, or very satisfied, with the company’s services.
The results are contained in the independent passenger watchdog’s Spring 2009 National Passenger Survey, and rates Grand Central as the country’s second top performing rail company based on overall passenger satisfaction
Grand Central Managing Director, Tom Clift, welcomed the results:
“We are delighted by this vote of confidence from our customers and we would like to thank them for rating us so highly. I am particularly proud of Grand Central’s on-board staff who received a satisfaction rating of 92% – showing how a small and highly dedicated team can deliver excellent customer service on the railway.”
“However, whilst delighted with these results we are not complacent and recognise that there is further work to do. Key to this will be the introduction of additional services in August that will provide new journey opportunities for travellers between the North East, Yorkshire and London.”
The Passenger Focus survey also shows how much passengers appreciate the design of Grand Central’s trains; with 92% giving a positive rating to the comfort of the seating area, and 91% satisfied with the amount of room provided for passengers.
Grand Central also welcomed the investment being made by rail industry partners and local stakeholders in improving passenger facilities at Sunderland, Hartlepool and Kings Cross Stations. It also confirmed it has plans to introduce local solutions at unmanned stations to improve passenger information and enhance the overall journey experience. These plans will be unveiled shortly.

The key findings of the report are listed below. Grand Central figures in BOLD, Long Distance Train Operating Company average in brackets:
Overall satisfaction 94% (85%)
Train: Punctuality and Reliability 95% (84%)
Train: How well dealt with delays 79% (50%)
Stations: Provision of information: 82% (86%)
Stations: Connections with other transport 71% (75%)
Train: Frequency of services 67% (82%)
Train: Value for money 74% (52%)
Train: Sufficient room for passengers to sit/stand 91% (72%)