Giving rail passengers choice is the route to keeping them happy

What makes King’s Cross unique among London’s mainline stations? Why do passengers who use the station rate most of its train services the very best in the country? What are the lessons for the rest of the rail network?

The answer is competition. Tonight at King’s Cross, passengers heading north can choose between three high-speed train operators.

They can compare prices and timings as they decide which service best fits their budget and schedule.

But this popular scenario is only happening at King’s Cross. Passengers elsewhere have the right to ask why.

When John Major’s government privatised the railways, the Government white paper pledged to “improve the quality of railway services by creating new opportunities for private sector involvement, more competition, greater efficiency and a wider choice of services more closely tailored to what customers want”.

Many travellers will roll their eyes when they read this based on their own experiences, but the latest National Rail Passenger Survey shows that many of these ambitions are being delivered at King’s Cross where the main franchise, Virgin East Coast, competes with two ‘open access’ operators.

Trains from this station record the highest passenger satisfaction ratings in the country. Grand Central tops the list with 96%, closely followed by rival Hull Trains on 94% and Virgin East Coast with 88% satisfaction.

Similarly these operators also come top on value for money, reliability, punctuality, getting a seat and station facilities.

The message is clear: when train companies face competition, they raise their game. They deliver better services at competitive fares because they have to fight for passengers.

This rivalry is also delivering innovative offerings such as free Wi-Fi, special ticket deals and new routes as operators constantly look to serve new towns and cities and boost their offering. Competition is helping drive all of this.