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Passengers in 'best' regions grow angry over cost and crowding

Britain's increasingly chaotic privatised regional railway network is leaving rail users with widely differing quality of service

Britain's increasingly chaotic privatised regional railway network is leaving rail users with widely differing quality of service, a new report reveals.

The Effectiveness of the Railway Network Across Great Britain, by consultants Credo and the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), shows that even in regions deemed to have the "best" services, passengers are increasingly fed up with overcrowding and high fares.

While the report says London, south-east England, the west Midlands, north-west England and Scotland are best served, services in Wales, eastern England and the north-east of England "perform much less well."

CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said: "The research exposes the huge disparities in the quality of train services across the country."

The report, published today, condemns eastern and north-eastern English services for having "relatively sparse rail networks, making services inaccessible to many people."

London rail services are "hindered by concern about cost and overcrowding" despite being deemed among the best, says the report.

Credo transport practice director Matt Lovering said: "The research highlights important issues for rail right across the country.

"For the south-east it reveals how much the London economy relies on the trains but also the increasing disquiet among commuters at the cost of getting to work."

Even Department for Transport franchising director Peter Wilkinson said: "There are challenges for all regions in improving the performance of our railways."

Transport union RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "This report exposes the fragmentation of Britain's railways as services struggle to cope with increasing passenger demand against a backdrop of chronic lack of investment and modernisation.

"Delays to fleet replacement and cuts to maintenance and renewals all leave services at constant risk of breakdown and it is no wonder passengers are angry at paying the highest fares in Europe to
travel on crowded, unreliable services."

Meanwhile, the coalition is pressing ahead with privatisation of Europe's most efficient intercity rail service.

The publicly owned East Coast Mainline rail service has humiliated its competitors in the private sector in terms of customer satisfaction.

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