Sussex rail operator Connex is attracting more complaints than any other rail operator, according to a new report.

The report by the Rail Passengers Committee for Southern England. Shows public confidence in the rail network has sunk to an all time low.

The rail company, which last year lost its franchise to run the Brighton Line, is the No 1 target for complaining travellers, the watchdog report reveals.

The passengers committee calls for a radical review in the way the privatised railway system is run, particularly the way Railtrack keeps records of its maintenance programme.

Wendy Toms the committee's chairman is scathing about the way rail companies have dealt with the knock on problems in the wake of the Hatfield train crash in October, when it was discovered the cause was a broken rail on track due to be replaced.

The fatal crash led to delays and cancellations as an emergency maintenance programme was put into action, making the last few months of 2000 one of the worst ever years for rail travel.

She said::" Just when passengers needed information most, it dried up altogether at some stations and on some trains. Staff themselves sometimes did not know what was happening."

Complaints about Connex South Central services out of Victoria and through Sussex increased by 31 per cent up until the end of March 2000, but complaints about the Connex South Eastern services through Kent were down.

The other main train operator Thameslink attracted 45 complaints to the committee, the same as the previous year.

Ms Toms says "There are signs that passengers are reaching the end of their patience. Those with a choice of whether or not to travel by train are forsaking rail in droves and travelling by car or coach if their journey is relatively short, or by air if going long distance.

Of the 1,810 complaints received by the committee, the two Connex companies and South West Trains, accounted for 85%. There were 545, about Connex South Central, 526 about South West Trains and 476 regarding South East trains.

Punctuality, failure to deal effectively with compensation claims, and poor information were top of the list.