Chiltern Railways has been rated by passengers as the top train company in the West Midlands.

In the Spring 2001 national passenger study the company scored the highest marks in all 12 categories, including punctuality, reliability, comfort and value for money.

Overall 89 per cent of passengers surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with their journey on Chiltern Railways.

Passengers also gave Chiltern the highest marks for frequency of trains, upkeep and repair of trains, length of journey time, amount of seats, connections, ticket buying facilities and the appropriate environment for catching a train.

Chiltern runs between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill through Haddenham and Thame Parkway, Bicester North, King's Sutton and Banbury. It also operates between Aylesbury and Marylebone.

Significantly, in passengers' overall opinion of their journey, Chiltern scored an average 21 per centage points higher than other train companies in the West Midlands. Chiltern was 13 points clear of the company rated second best by passengers.

This is the fourth consective time Chiltern has scored the highest marks in the bi-annual study, which is conducted by the Oxford Research Agency for the Strategic Rail Authority.

Steve Murphy, general manager, said: "Our commitment and effort to build a world-class railway for our passengers is starting to pay off. We have still got a long way to go, but these results are a very encouraging endorsement of our policy of providing a comfortable service and investing in safety, punctuality and reliability.

""We are very proud that our passengers have recognised our commitment to quality."

He said the results of the national passenger study did not mean they could become complacent.

Mr Murphy added: "Our dedication to providing excellent standards of customer service is just as strong and we have a lot of work to do in terms of further improving services based on what our customers tell us."

Nationally, Chiltern was rated second in passengers' overall opinion of their journey, being pipped at the post for the title of top operator by the small Island Line on the Isle of Wight.