Mixed views on rail services in Shropshire

A survey by watchdog Passenger Focus has found 83 per cent of Arriva Trains Wales passengers were satisfied overall with their last journey, while 82 per cent of London Midland passengers felt the same.

But figures for both operators were low for specific issues such as dealing with delays, with only 35 per cent satisfaction for both.

There was also less satisfaction with the availability of station shops and cafes, at 39 per cent for Arriva and 43 per cent for London Midland, and on-train toilet facilities, at 47 percent for Arriva and 44 for London Midland.

Arriva Trains Wales runs most of Shropshire's services, including stations at Shrewsbury and Gobowen, while London Midland runs services towards Birmingham, which stop at Wellington and Telford.

The two rail companies were reviewed in the National Rail Passenger's Survey, which took the opinions of 27,000 passengers in total, and the figures from both operators mirrored overall national averages.

Nationally, 82 per cent of passengers remained satisfied overall, the same level as in spring 2013.

Just over 1,000 passengers were asked about their travel experiences for both Arriva Trains Wales and London Midland in the survey.

For both operators only about half of the passengers surveyed felt train prices were value for money, with Arriva's 54 per cent narrowly beating London Midland's 50 per cent - though both figures are significantly higher than the national average.

Both scored most highly on how station staff dealt with requests, with 89 per cent satisfaction for Arriva and 88 for London Midland.

Arriva, however, showed a significant lead over London Midland on punctuality, with 82 per cent satisfaction compared to 75.

Lynne Milligan, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales said: "We are obviously pleased that our NRPS results generally remain around the industry average however we are continuously working to improve our service performance.

"In particular, I am pleased that the improved score relating to the provision of ticket buying facilities at stations reflects Arriva TrainsWales' £1 million investment in new ticket vending machines which make it easier for our customers to buy and collect tickets."

Lindsey Preece, spokeswoman for London Midland, said: "We are pleased that passenger satisfaction with London Midland has increased over the last year, but we are never complacent. While overall passenger satisfaction is two percentage points higher than the same period last year, we believe our passengers deserve more and improving our service further remains our focus."