As soon as Railtrack started investigating the rail cracking problems there was an immediate impact on our services

Andy Milne, Silverlink

Silverlink, which runs services from London to the Midlands, blames the crumbling infrastructure of Britain's railways for its problems.

Spokesman Andy Milne said difficulties were immediately felt in the wake of the Hatfield crash.

He said: "As soon as Railtrack started investigating the rail cracking problems there was an immediate impact on our services, because of the speed restrictions put in place on the west coast mainline.

Customer satisfaction dropped after Hatfield disaster

"We know that the only way to win back popular public opinion is to run our trains on time."

He stopped short of blaming Railtrack for the problems, saying the company had been "brave" in its attempts to modernise Britain's rail network, after the legacy it inherited from British Rail.

No complacency

Chiltern Railways, which runs trains between London and the South East, said it was delighted with the SRA statistics.

The only company with a higher approval rating was the Isle of Wight line, on 91%.

Steve Murphy, Chiltern's General Manager, said: "The results of the National Passenger Study do not mean we can become complacent.

"We have still got a long way to go, but these results are a very encouraging endorsement."

Gatwick Express, which received an 87% approval rating, said the key to its success was the �50m investment in the service last September, which included the launch of new high-tech rolling stock.

A spokeswoman said: "We have five million passengers a year and they are very demanding, because they are also air passengers as well.

"It is only a 30 minute journey, but in a situation like this, even a one minute delay is a very long time."