South Eastern Railway records highest-ever passenger trust scores

South Eastern Railway has achieved its highest-ever customer trust scores, with new YouGov data showing passengers increasingly see the operator as fairer, clearer and more reliable.

The results follow the June 2025 launch of South Eastern Railway, which united Southeastern train operations and Network Rail infrastructure under one leadership team. The approach mirrors the future model of Great British Railways, designed to deliver a better, more dependable railway for communities across the south east.

Steve White, Managing Director of South Eastern Railway, said: “These record high trust scores are very encouraging and are both a testament to the hard work of our team and the benefit of bringing train operations and infrastructure together under one roof.

“Our newly integrated leadership team is wholly accountable to our customers and stakeholders. However, we are far from complacent, and we know there is much more we must do to continue to improve our services for customers and reduce our cost to taxpayers.

“We take seriously the role transport plays in the lives of our customers connecting them with jobs, housing, education and leisure. Their trust is not easily won. It is earned day after day by delivering the best service that we can and looking after customers when things do go wrong.”

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy described the results as evidence of the benefits of closer integration. “Track and train are two sides of the same coin and uniting them under the leadership of Steve White and his team has clearly improved passenger experiences across the south east.

“This success is a blueprint for how train operators will be organised under Great British Railways – driving efficiencies, innovation and high standards to restore trust across the whole of Britain’s rail network.”

Record highs in reliability and communication

YouGov surveyed current and prospective customers, as well as non-users, with trust measured on a 1–7 scale. Four key measures reached record highs:

• Act fairly to customers: 4.3
• Communicate effectively: 4.23
• Run a reliable service: 4.21
• Keep promises: 4.13

Trust was strongest among commuters (4.4) and business travellers (4.2), while leisure passengers scored lower (3).

YouGov Passenger Trust Scores

Tangible gains for passengers

The uplift in trust comes as the newly integrated railway works to deliver a better passenger experience while saving more than £60 million in taxpayer subsidy this year.

South Eastern Railway highlighted several initiatives supporting customers:

• Keeping cancellations down: cancellations in Rail Period 10 were 2.1%, nearly half the national average, with a Moving Annual Average of 2.2%, among the lowest in the industry.
• Reducing crowding: December’s new timetable introduced extra services, including 29 additional Highspeed St Pancras–Faversham trains each week, alongside more Saturday capacity. Passenger satisfaction with onboard crowding reached 84%, the highest result this year.
• Improving customer satisfaction: Southeastern achieved its highest ever satisfaction score and has trained more than 1,000 colleagues through its ‘Dare to Care’ programme.
• Better passenger assistance: In December, the Office of Rail and Road rated Southeastern among the most reliable operators for providing passenger assistance, alongside LNER and Network Rail.
• Faster compensation: The latest ORR report shows Southeastern was best in class at processing Delay Repay claims and handling complaints in a timely and fair manner.

With trust climbing to record levels, South Eastern Railway says it remains focused on delivering the reliable, customer-centred railway passengers across the south east expect.