The vast majority of Britons are happy with their rail service although satisfaction with long distance trips has fallen, according to a survey.

The independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus said 80 percent of passengers were satisfied with their train journey.

Chiltern Railways, Gatwick Express, Heathrow Express and Merseyrail all scored highly while First ScotRail saw its satisfaction level increase significantly from a year ago.

However the Spring 2008 survey, based on the opinions of 25,000 rail users nationally, found that satisfaction levels had dropped among passengers of Cross Country, East Midlands, First TransPennine Express, National Express East Coast and Virgin.

"Satisfaction with station and train facilities from long-distance operators dropped across the board and the five operators should see these scores as a red alert," said Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive.

"Likewise, the value for money offered by all train companies remains a primary concern for more than half of the passengers we surveyed.

"And, with our research showing that value for money is passengers' number one priority surely this must be addressed by the industry?"

Older people and women were happier with their train journeys while commuters were much less content than leisure travellers, with only 73 percent saying they received an adequate service.

Overall, passengers reported improvements to ticket-buying systems and security at stations. However train operators scored badly for the state of the toilets and how they handled delays, with fewer than four in 10 customers happy with the services.