Reading Station 'best in the country'

Figures released last week by Network Rail show that overall passenger satisfaction on the company's Western route has improved since last year, making Western the top scoring route, with a passenger satisfaction score of 86 per cent.

A survey, carried out by independent watchdog Transport Focus, asked around 30,000 passengers nationally for their views on the railway.

Reading was the top scoring station in the UK, with a passenger satisfaction score of 94 per cent, up five percentage points from last year.

The station has seen a number of recent improvements which may have boosted its score, including increased seating provision and more information available about the estimated arrival times of trains on the screens.

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The managed station across the route – London Paddington, Reading and Bristol Temple Meads, now all provide free drinking water fountains for passengers, with the charge for the use of toilets at London Paddington having been scrapped last year.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail's route managing director for Western said: "These results have been achieved through lots of hard work and dedication.

"The increased scores mean that passengers are noticing improvements in train performance and travel experience as a result of the biggest upgrade on the Western route since the railway was built.

"Reading's ranking as the top scoring managed station is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the dedication of the station team.

"We will continue to work hard to ensure that Reading remains as the number one top scoring station and remain committed to putting passengers first and delivering the highest levels of service and satisfaction."

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Mark Hopwood, GWR managing director said: "We have promised the biggest upgrade in a generation on the Great Western route, and in the last two years we have been working hard to deliver just that – with new fleets of trains, more staff, and more modern and improved track infrastructure.

"I am delighted that this hard work is starting to pay off. Not only are our customers enjoying the benefit the new trains are bringing, but their experience has become the norm, reflected today in our best ever overall satisfaction scores.

"The work doesn't end there.

"In December this year we will launch a new timetable and the biggest change on our network in 40 years, making the most of our new fleets to bring even more frequent services, offering more seats and quicker journeys."

As part of a commitment to continuous improvement and putting passengers first, upgrades to the Network Rail managed stations on the Western route include improvements to the toilet facilities at London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, where there are plans to reopen the toilets on platform 9.

The provision of expected arrival time information on the screens at Reading has proved a success, with plans to roll this out at Bristol Temple Meads later in the year.