First Hull Trains named best operator

FIRST Hull Trains has been named as the best long- distance rail operator in the country.

The news comes almost a year after the firm met with Hull's three MPs to discuss its "service reliability issues".

Now, the train operator has turned around its fortunes and is steaming ahead of its rivals after passengers championed the work of the company by recording the best overall customer satisfaction in the UK.

Richard Parry, managing director of First Hull Trains, has put the transformation down to the hard work of the firm's employees.

He said: "It is great credit to the team, who have built the business and put their heart and soul into it.

"It is great to see such excellent feedback from our customers.

"The fact we are at the top of the chart shows how good a job the team in Hull is doing.

"They have a tremendous customer focus, take pride in what they do and that shows in their work."

Hull North MP Diana Johnson, Hull East MP Karl Turner and Alan Johnson, MP for Hull West and Hessle, set up the meeting after a number of delays and cancellations affected passengers travelling between Hull and London.

Since then, the company has invested £4.5m to replace its former trains.

Seven months on and First Hull Trains scored 95 per cent in the customer survey conducted by Passenger Focus, the independent rail industry passenger watchdog.

Mr Parry will be leaving the company at the end of this month but insists the team in Hull is geared up to sustain its performance in the future.

He said: "Our performance since the turn of the year has been excellent, with reliable, punctual services, very few cancellations, and a high quality of service on board, which is exactly what our customers expect and appreciate.

"While the survey shows that we are rated the best in the UK, these surveys also help us to understand where we might do even better.

"Our aim is to continually improve our service wher- ever we can."

The rest of the UK's long- distance operators scored an average satisfaction rating of 87 per cent, putting First Hull Trains well ahead of the pack.

Last year, First Hull Trains, which provides 90 services a week between Hull and London, carried almost 800,000 people, a ten-fold increase on its first year of trading in 2000.

Already this year, this number has continued to rise – with passenger growth consistently above 5 per cent year-on-year.

David Hooper, of the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, said: "First Hull Trains continues to offer a great service for the business community and other travellers across our region.

"Recording the highest levels of satisfaction scores in one survey is an achievement in itself, but to be consistently above the national average for the past several years demonstrates real dedication and commitment.

"It is important to note that staff helpfulness scores very highly in the survey.

"First Hull Trains is a fantastic asset to the region."