Only one in five Govia passengers happy with handling of complaints, says watchdog

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is feeling the heat after a consumer survey shows only one in five passengers who filed a complaint were happy with how it was handled.

Consumer watchdog Which looked at 12 months' worth of data from rail regulator the Office of Road and Rail (ORR), which received 42,000 responses from consumers.

According to Which, only 21 per cent of GTR customers were happy with how their claim was handled.

GTR was at the centre of the timetable storm in May, in which a botched upgrade that was supposed to deliver more trains led to widespread cancellations, delays and overcrowding.

The chaos prompted transport secretary Chris Grayling to launch a review into the saga, led by ORR chairman Stephen Glaister. The review found that the Department for Transport (DfT), Network Rail and the ORR itself all missed opportunities to prevent weeks of delays and cancellations, while GTR and Northern failed to provide adequate information to passengers.

It also led the creation of a new rail ombudsman to help handle the volume of passenger complaints.

Following the ORR's findings Grayling commissioned a further review led by former British Airways chief executive Keith Williams that will focus on the franchise model.

Which managing director of public markets Alex Hayman said:  “Clearly there are serious underlying problems in the current rail complaints system, which need to be addressed.

“Train companies have to step up and start delivering good customer service when things go wrong – informing passengers about their rights and dealing properly with any complaints that arise."

A GTR spokesperson said: “We have one of the lowest complaint rates of any rail operator in the country. Many issues in this period were about upcoming local timetable changes that had already been consulted on. New train times were set in stone nationally, so complaints about these could not be resolved by us.

“During the summer our punctuality and reliability recovered to the high levels being achieved before the timetable change and the complaint rate is again well below the national average.

"We work closely with Transport Focus and London Travelwatch to resolve appeals and welcome the launch of the Rail Ombudsman as an alternative appeal process for our passengers."

Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith added: "Transport Focus has handled 7,000 appeals this year, including many about how well – or otherwise – train operators handle passengers who have faced a problem. Around 70 per cent of passengers who turn to us tell us they are satisfied with the outcome we achieve.

"We welcome the arrival of a new rail ombudsman service, because the existence of an independent authority with powers to impose binding decisions to resolve intractable complaints should help accelerate efforts by all train operators to improve their complaint handling. We will also track the work of the new ombudsman very closely to make sure it delivers measurable benefits for passengers.”