THE company which provides most of Oxfordshire’s train services has received more complaints than any other on a new consumer website.

First Great Western – which runs train services between Oxford, London Paddington and Hereford – has received 97 complaints in 2015 so far according to Resolver, which advises customers on their rights to complain about companies providing services, Its website has received 1,515 complaints about 26 train companies since the start of the year.

The complaints against FGW cover trains being delayed, overcrowding, trains being cancelled and poor customer service. Chiltern Railways – which links Banbury and Bicester to London Marylebone – received just eight complaints and CrossCountry Trains – which runs trains from Oxford to Newcastle and Bournemouth – received 20 complaints.

Chris Bates, chairman of Cherwell Rail Users Group, regularly uses FGW and CR trains from Banbury and Oxford to London.

He said FGW generated more complaints than other companies because it has to use outdated signals on the Great Western network, which keep breaking down causing trains to be delayed.

Signals on the Chiltern line, however, were modernised before Chiltern took on the contract.

He said: “It’s the same old problem with the signals. The Government and Network Rail need to get their hands dirty and fix them.

“The problems are still ongoing. It’s improved a bit recently but not by very much.”

Mr Bates said the problem should be resolved when the overhead electrification of the Great Western network is introduced by the end of 2016 because a new signalling system will be in place.

But First Great Western spokesman James Davis said the figures did not tally with a decline in complaints over the past year, shown by statistics provided by the Office of Rail Regulation.

This data put FGW eighth out of 19 rail companies for the number of complaints in every 100,000 journeys, with an average of 36.9.

Mr Davis said satisfaction is driven by punctuality and 90 per cent of FGW trains were on time over the past year. He added: “We’ve worked incredibly hard on improving the service we offer our customers by increasing the flow of information to our customers and increasing staff at stations.”