New research from an independent watchdog shows that train passengers' satisfaction with comfort onboard is at a three-year high.

Passengers who use south Essex trainline c2c are more satisfied with key factors of their journey such as seat availability, comfort and ease of getting on the train than at any time in the past three years, according to the latest research from independent watchdog Transport Focus.

The latest bi-annual National Rail Passenger Survey, which interviewed over 1,000 c2c users, found that c2c passengers are among the most satisfied overall in London and the South East.

Echo: Julian Drury, Managing Director of C2C

Key categories where they rank among London’s happiest commuters are punctuality and reliability, speed of journey, and connections with other services.

The survey was taken between September and November, before c2c delivered 24 new carriages adding thousands of extra seats for commuters every week.

The survey also pre-dates the latest update to c2c’s timetable earlier this month, which created faster journey times on key peak-time services.

Key results from Transport Focus’ survey of c2c passengers include:

  • Overall satisfaction: 87%, compared to the London-wide average of 80%
  • Length of time of the journey (speed): 85%, compared to the London-wide average of 80%
  • Punctuality and reliability: 83%, compared to the London-wide average of 69%
  • Ease of being able to get on and off: 82%, up 8% compared with the last NRPS survey and at its highest level since Spring 2014
  • Comfort of the seating area: 79%, up 10% compared with the last NRPS survey and at its highest level since Autumn 2013
  • Sufficient room for all passengers to sit/stand: 62%, up 5% compared with immediately before c2c’s December 2015 timetable change and at its highest level since Autumn 2013

c2c Managing Director Julian Drury said: “We are pleased to see that c2c passengers are happier with key aspects of their commute than at any other time over the last three years, even though we now carry thousands more people in each peak.

“Since this survey was taken, we have added extra brand-new carriages to our fleet, overhauled our timetable to offer faster journeys on key services, and improved the punctuality of our service.

"We will continue to do everything we can to try ensure our passengers are satisfied and to address the growing demand for travel to London from the flourishing south Essex region.”

Today’s survey also showed c2c passengers are the UK’s happiest with both the upkeep of their train and how clean it is.