Shocking service by cowboy train privateers has riled more than half of their passengers, customer watchdog Which? reported yesterday.

Just eight of 18 firms had more than 50 per cent satisfaction, with successful publicly owned East Coast coming fifth.

Southeastern and Greater Anglia came joint last, with only four in 10 passengers saying they were satisfied.

On average, the 7,415 people surveyed had travelled by train 32 times in the previous 12 months.

Four-fifths of them condemned rip-off ticket prices.

Sixty per cent put cheaper fares at the top of their wish list for better journeys, with a demand for more carriages to end cattle car conditions coming in second.

Many also complained of dirty carriages and broken toilets.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "It's disappointing to see some train companies consistently falling down on the basics of customer service, with dirty and overcrowded carriages and toilets that don't work.

"Seven rail franchises end in the next two years and we want to see passengers' experiences put right at the heart of the tender process so companies respond to consumer expectations and can be held to account if they don't."

Transport union RMT leader Bob Crow said: "Once again this survey shows that Britain's privatised railways are delivering a lousy service to the public while money that could be invested in capacity and upgrading is syphoned off into multimillion-pound profits for the rich.

"(London Mayor) Boris Johnson should take note of the fact that the British people want ticket offices and properly staffed stations which was the issue at the heart of the Tube dispute."