TRAIN company Northern has said it was "disappointed and concerned" after the firm was slated by passengers in a national satisfaction survey.

The firm recorded one of the lowest scores in the country for train operating companies when it came to overall satisfaction with services, according to rail watchdog Passenger Focus.

Only 77 per cent of passengers with Northern said services were satisfactory or good - a figure which was down seven per cent on the previous year.

Just under a thousand Northern passengers were quizzed for the survey in the spring of this year.

York-based Northern is the UK's biggest train franchise operator and runs 2,500 services every weekday.

Its routes include Bishop Auckland-Darlington-Middlesbrough-Saltburn and the Esk Valley Line in North Yorkshire.

Areas in which the firm performed badly included facilities and services at stations, connections with other trains and the upkeep and repair of its trains.

Heidi Mottram, managing director of Northern Rail, said: "Following the number of positive steps we have taken we are disappointed and concerned with our latest results in the National Passenger Survey.

"We will be working closely with Passenger Focus to understand why passenger satisfaction with the services we provide appears to have decreased and ensure we implement robust procedures to address these issues."

The firm said it was replacing some of its older trains with more modern ones, while the punctuality of its services was continuing to rise each year.

It had also reviewed its station cleaning contracts, following feedback from customers.

Elsewhere, Passenger Focus said that investment by TransPennine Express in new trains had boosted passenger ratings, with 89 per cent of passengers surveyed describing its services overall as satisfactory or good.

The firm, whose routes include Newcastle to Manchester Airport, has spent about £250m on new trains and achieved its highest score to date in the survey.

Vernon Barker, managing director for TransPennine Express, said: "The new trains have obviously made a positive impact and with further investment to our stations we look forward to seeing what our passengers tell us in the next survey."

GNER, which is to give up its East Coast Main Line franchise later this year, recorded an overall satisfaction score of 87 per cent, down two per cent year on year.