If you thought that things couldn't get much worse for train companies in Kent, think again.

Southeastern, the company responsible for most of the county's services, has found itself second from bottom on Which?'s annual rail survey.

With a passenger score of just 31%, this makes the firm one of the worst in the UK.

However, they were pipped for the bottom of the pile by none other than Southern.

The pain train seems to have no breaks for Southern as they wound up worst with a dismal customer score of just 21% following a series of strikes, making it a nightmare start to the year for commuters.

This is the company's worst performance ever - a far cry from the score 44% bagged last year on Which?'s annual rail survey.

Out of eight categories, the train company gained itself just one star for six of them.

The other two categories did not fare much better with just two stars for both.

A GTR spokesperson said: "Performance is unacceptable and we're sincerely sorry. Our passengers deserve better and, together with Network Rail and its £300m funding package to improve track signalling and overall performance, we're working hard to improve the service.

"This survey inevitably reflects the significant impact of the wholly unjustified industrial action being taken by ASLEF and the RMT.

"We have made comprehensive offers to resolve this.

"Our service is also hit by the on-going additional knock-on delays from the London Bridge redevelopment on Southern and Thameslink and we have also had performance issues on Great Northern caused by weather, signal failures in key locations and problems with the ageing trains that we have begun to replace.

"We are committed to giving passengers the services they expect."

Which? director of campaigns and communications, Vickie Sheriff, said: “After months of disruption, it’s no surprise to see Southern at the bottom of our customer satisfaction survey.

“Though Southern have performed particularly badly this year, the whole sector is continually failing passengers.

"Overcrowding, delays, short trains, carriages in poor condition – many services aren’t providing even the basics.

"Enough is enough – we need rail services that finally deliver for their passengers.”

Following a "soul destroying" period for Southern passengers plagued by industrial action, the company were on track for a bad outcome.

And the string of strike action is still on-going, with a planned three day walk out next week.

The ASLEF and RMT industrial action comes as part of their long-running dispute over driver-only trains

A member of Facebook campaign group

Southern Rail Sufferers! said: "A huge concern, which is indirectly affecting more and more innocent people, is our inner London emergency service workers attempting to get into work.

"Nurses and doctors are being kept on later after working a 12-hour shift, while their poor colleagues struggle to get in.

"Police officers are in exactly the same boat. We do not want our emergency calls dealt with by officers who are struggling to keep their eyes open.

"Meetings, calls and appointments are being missed thanks to Southern. These service men and women, who we rely on, do not have a choice what time they start work.

"They are not on flexi time. They are a requirement. The struggle is real, it's dangerous and it need to be addressed."

Another member of the group said of their experience with Southern: "Having switched from commuting with Southeastern to Southern four years ago it has been soul destroying experience.

"Having to cancel evening appointments because your train is late/cancelled.

"Having to get lifts home from friends because you are stuck at Hayward's Heath.

"Their communications are appalling and inaccurate. All of this was before the strikes even started. They are an embarrassment to the country."

With passengers enduring a winter of misery on the railways, Which? is today launching a campaign calling for rail services to finally deliver for passengers.

It is calling for:

• Train companies to respect passenger rights and comply with the law

• The regulator to be given real teeth to hold the rail industry to account

• The Government to swiftly bring forward reforms that put passengers first.

A Southeastern spokesman said: “We value all feedback, including surveys such as this and the National Rail Passenger Survey, as they help inform us as we continue to invest over £70million in improvements in the areas that matter most to our passengers.

“We understand passengers’ concerns about the availability of seats on our trains, which stands out in this survey.

"The success of our railway means we have seen passenger numbers rise by 40 per cent in the past decade, but we have had no extra trains or carriages since 2009.

"That’s why we’re working closely with the Department for Transport to bring additional trains to our network.

“We’ve also invested in better information for passengers, we have introduced 300 more frontline employees with enhanced customer service training, we are refurbishing our trains, and we have revamped and repainted the 165 stations we manage.

"Equally, Network Rail, which looks after the railway infrastructure, is investing hundreds of millions of pounds rebuilding sections of track and signalling on our network – some of which dates back to the 1950s – to help improve our punctuality and performance.

"This is on top of the multi-billion pound Thameslink Programme, which is rebuilding London Bridge station, improving reliability and building better connections for passengers.

“We, together with the entire rail industry, are committed to improving services for passengers and our focus remains on driving forward the nationwide £50 billion-plus Railway Upgrade Plan - the biggest programme of improvement in rail in more than 150 years.”

If you have experienced delays, overcrowding, poor train conditions, short formation trains or general poor service, share your nightmare experiences with Which? by visiting: www.which.co.uk/mytrainhell