Northern Fail For Customer Satisfaction

25 January 2019, 07:04

Northern Rail comes bottom of a customer satisfaction survey by consumer group, Which?

Last year, there were months of disruption due a timetable change - which included no Northern services running on the Lakes line for four weeks.

The only category the operator didn't score one star in was for the amount standing room on its trains.

One ex-Northern passenger, Jonathan Lee-Smith, got so fed up with the operator that he decided to move 300 miles from Blackpool to Devon to avoid his commute from hell.

He said: “The problems with Northern meant I wasn’t able to get to and from work when I needed to. It was affecting my sleep and social life. It made me miserable. It got to the point where I wasn’t happy with anything so I decided to make a change.”

Furness MP John Woodcock said: “The fact that Northern received the lowest customer satisfaction score in this survey will come as no surprise to Furness line passengers who have for years been forced to endure shambolic performances from the company.

“On one occasion last summer a total of 33 trains were cancelled across Cumbria with some customers abandoned on stations without any replacement buses to take them to their destinations.

“The findings of a government rail review will be published later this year with reform of the sector to begin in 2020 – but that is not much comfort for Furness passengers who are still having to contend with hold-ups, cancellations, excuses and ancient trains.”