A RAILWAY operator which runs services between the North-East and London has topped a national passenger satisfaction survey.

Research revealed 76 per cent of Grand Central customers believe they get value for money.

The open access operator, which does not receive a subsidy or pay a premium to the Department for Transport, runs from Sunderland and Bradford to London.

The independent passenger watchdog, Transport Focus, carried out the survey of 28,000 people.

Nationally, the overall score for commuter satisfaction was 76 per cent, compared with 85 per cent for business travellers and 90 per cent for passengers on leisure trips.

The operators with the three lowest ratings were all in the South-East, where long-running improvement work at London Bridge station has caused disruption to services.

The report also found an increase in overall satisfaction among rail passengers to 83 per cent in autumn 2015, up from 81 per cent year on year.

Rail Minister Claire Perry said it showed investment in the industry was starting to deliver results.

Meanwhile, Northern Rail, one of the largest train operators in the country, has achieved its best ever customer satisfaction score in the latest National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS), which surveyed 26 companies.

It achieved an 84 per cent overall customer satisfaction score, compared to a national score of 83 per cent.

Natalie Loughborough, customer service director for Northern Rail, said: “We’d like to thank customers for taking the time to give us such valuable feedback.”