CHILTERN Railways has been rated the third best out of 21 operators in a major passenger survey - but users hit out at ticket prices.

Of more than 1,000 passengers surveyed, 89 per cent said they were satisfied or services were "good".

This was 80 per cent in the UK said Passenger Focus, the independent rail watchdog.

But only 49 per cent thought their ticket was "value for money" - down six per cent from autumn 2007.

Of 31 ratings, attitudes fell in 16 from the last survey with "availability of staff" on the train still getting the worst score.

Spokesman Michael Scanlan said: "We are pleased that we are still one of the best operating companies in the country."

He said: "We think we represent good value for money. It is an industry wide concern and an industry wide issue.

"It is a lot to do with people's perception of the railways. Whether that is true or not, it is something people believe and is something we will examine."

He said the decline in some ratings could have been influenced by delays and restrictions from engineering works when the survey was carried out in February.

Only 25 per cent of the 613 surveyed said they were satisfied or thought the availability of staff on the train was good.

Mr Scanlan said: "If passengers feel strongly about it then obviously that is something we will look into."

He said this could be because trains from London to Banbury - which call at stations in south Bucks - did not have a guard on board.

This is because "safety measures" were more advanced on this stretch of the track, meaning the guard did not need to liaise with the driver over issues like signals.

Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: "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?"