CityRail customers have acknowledged the initiatives put in place over the last year and have reported an increased level of satisfaction in many areas of our service.

The fifth annual Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) customer survey reveals that service punctuality, aspects of security and communications are the key areas in which significant progress has been made in meeting customer expectations.

More customers told ITSRR their expectations were being met for the quality of information they received about arrival and departure times, up from 79% in 2007 to 84% this year.

On-time running initiatives are making a positive impact, with 73% of customers (up from 68%) noting improve punctuality of services. Customers also reported that we are now doing a better job in communicating service delays or cancellations, with 74% (up from 68%) satisfied with the accuracy and timeliness of information provided.

The top five areas with the highest satisfaction ratings for meeting customer expectations were:

• CityRail website information service (91%)
• Signs to help find your way around the network (86%)
• Knowledge and helpfulness of staff (85%)
• Politeness and friendliness of station staff (84%)
• 131 500 transport information phone line (84%)

The results are encouraging, however, we recognise there are areas where further improvement is required.

The survey showed that crowding and access to commuter car parks were continuing concerns given the unprecedented levels of patronage growth across the network. Another area of customer dissatisfaction was graffiti, despite CityRail spending $3.8 million last year cleaning graffiti from trains and stations.

Visit the ITSRR website to read the full report on the survey.