Nearly half of rail users in Kent say train ticket prices are poor value for money, according to a survey.

Southeastern is rated by passengers as the worst in the country when it comes to the cost of train travel, according to the survey carried out by Passenger Focus, the rail user’s watchdog group.

The wide-ranging results reveals mixed views among travellers using both high speed and mainline routes in and out of Kent.

But it is the hike in ticket prices - with some fares rising by 13 per cent - that took effect in January which is clearly a sore point. Some 46 per cent said they were unhappy, giving Southeastern the lowest satisfaction rating of all operators.

Some of the survey’s other findings are likely to leave many regular commuters unimpressed.

According to Passenger Focus, eight out of ten passengers rate Southeastern services as either good or satisfactory despite continuing complaints about delays and punctuality.

However, the 82 per cent rating, based on a sample of 1900 people, is the fourth lowest of all 22 operators and is unchanged from the last survey.

It also includes High Speed One services - which scored much higher - and prompted complaints the survey was skewed.

On punctuality, 91 per cent of passengers were happy with High Speed trains compared to 74 per cent for mainline routes.

When it came to trains having enough room, 87 per cent of those using High Speed trains were satisfied while far fewer - 67 per cent - were with Southeastern’s other routes.

In a statement, Southeastern service delivery director Vince Lucas said: "The latest independent National Passenger Survey shows 82 per cent of customers are satisfied with Southeastern’s service.

"This is an encouraging result as it’s the highest score ever achieved for this network area and is testament to our staff working hard to improve the service for customers."

He added: "Clearly we know there’s more to be done to improve things further.

"Over the past five months we’ve achieved higher than 90 per cent train service punctuality on most days and continuing to improve on this throughout the rest of the year will remain our focus."

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch said: "Yet again, the outcome of this survey shows why we need to separate out High Speed services from others as they clearly drag Southeastern’s performance up.

"I do not think services are up to scratch. People do find it frustrating that they are paying significantly more and clearly feel they do not get value for money."

Passenger Focus carrired out the survey between January and April this year.