A fifth of passengers are not satisfied with the service they receive from South West Trains, according to independent research.

More than a quarter are unhappy with cleanliness levels in stations but 83 per cent are now satisfied with information about train times, up three per cent on last year.

South West Trains pledged to make improvements following the publication of the research, carried out by Passenger Focus.

Tim Shoveller, Chief Executive for the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, said more needs to be done to deliver better journeys for passengers.

"Our staff are working very hard to improve services for our passengers and we have started one of the biggest long-term investment programmes seen for decades on our network" he said.

Mr Shoveller admitted performance “is not where it needs to be” and added: "There is no quick or easy fix to improve reliability, boost capacity and catch up on years of under-investment at the same time as running the UK’s busiest railway and carrying over half a million people a day.

“But we are determined to work with the government and do everything we can to deliver a better railway for our customers."

The research also showed passengers are happier with the choice of station shops and eating places than they were last year and they believe personal security has improved.