A rail company which runs services through St Albans has been slated by users for providing some of the worst trains in the country.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) was singled out in a passenger survey for operating among the worst trains, providing the worst toilet facilities and operating some of the least punctual services.

In particular, the National Rail Passenger Survey highlighted customer dissatisfaction with its Bedford to Brighton line.

The latest results show overall satisfaction with trains operated by GTR has fallen by two per cent.

Katherine Cox, spokesman for GTR, said: "Since the time of this survey, and within only three months of taking over the franchise, we have introduced brand new trains on the Thameslink route but that is clearly not enough."

The Thameslink franchise, which was taken over by Govia near the time the survey began, was further condemned by disgruntled passengers as providing the worst on-board toilets in Britain.

In the survey, just one in four travelers said they were satisfied with the facilities.

The research, conducted by Passenger Focus between September and November 2014, also showed travelers felt there was not enough seated or standing room on board GTR’s trains with fewer than half of passengers were satisfied with the amount of space available.

In addition, GTR has also faced problems with the punctuality of its services which were reflected in the survey results.

Ms Cox said: "This research was carried out in the autumn at the start of our new franchise. We’re disappointed by the two per cent reduction in overall satisfaction which we are determined to turn around by giving our passengers a better service.

"The punctuality of our trains is the single biggest driver in passenger satisfaction.

"However, on Thameslink, and in particular south of London, scores fell because, at the time of this survey, the route was hit by a series of significant delays. These were due a number of issues including signalling reliability on the heavily congested Brighton Main Line as well as seven suicides in the first three weeks, five of them on Thameslink and failed trains in the critical section of track in central London."

Ms Cox said GTR is working closely with Network Rail and other industry partners on an action plan to improve reliability and service quality.

She added: "In the long-term we have much to look forward to with the introduction of smart cards later this year, better timetables and new trains on both Thameslink and Great Northern."