THE company that lost the franchise to run train services on the East Coast main line between the North-East and London saw a drop in passenger satisfaction in its last days, according to a survey.

Independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus yesterday revealed the results of its autumn 2007 survey, which included the opinions of almost 28,000 rail users.

The survey, the largest of its kind in the UK, revealed that York-based GNER saw its overall satisfaction rating drop by five per cent to 82 per cent.

Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: ''This demonstrates how much trust the new owner, National Express East Coast, has to regain from passengers.'' Mr Smith said: ''Passenger Focus again calls for a fare freeze where performance has been poor. Penalising passengers with fare rises when train companies are not sticking to their side of the deal is simply not fair.'' The survey found that across all train companies, only 45 per cent of passengers believed they got value for money. Passenger satisfaction rose on train accommodation and improved ticket buying facilities at stations but fell when users were questioned about train toilets and staff attitudes and helpfulness.