The Department for Transport has released new statistics revealing the most overcrowded train services during England and Wales last year.And eight of the top 10 overcrowded services in both spring and autumn last year arrived or departed London stations. The DfT said with the exceptions of Birmingham and Liverpool, rail demand has grown at all the major cities assessed.
*Read more*: It's official: This was the most complained about train company last year
For the most overcrowded services in spring, five of them were Southern rail, while two of the autumn list were Southern rail services too. Six of the other most crowded services were Thameslink or Great Northern, while TransPennine Express had four trains in the two top 10s.
*The 10 most overcrowded peak train services in the UK's major cities - spring 2016*
Rank City Critical load point Time at critical load point Train operating firm Service
1. London London Bridge 07:00 Southern 05:40 Uckfield to London Bridge
2. London London Bridge 08:20 Southern 07:16 East Grinstead to London Bridge
3. Manchester Manchester Oxford Road 08:23 TransPennine Express 04:22 Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport
4. London London Blackfriars 08:49 Thameslink 07:24 Brighton to Bedford
5. London London Euston 17:46 London Midland 17:46 London Euston to Crewe
6. London London Blackfriars 08:20 Thameslink 07:00 Brighton to Bedford
7. London London Bridge 08:18 Southern 06:29 Littlehampton to London Bridge
8. London London Bridge 08:28 Southern 07:05 Uckfield to London Bridge
9. London London Bridge 07:44 Southern 06:40 East Grinstead to London Bridge
10. Leeds Leeds 17:44 TransPennine Express 16:12 Liverpool Lime St to Newcastle
*Read more*: The 17 Tube stations facing severe overcrowding by the early 2030s
*The 10 most overcrowded peak train services in the UK's major cities - autumn 2016*
Rank City Critical load point Time at critical load point Train operating firm Service
1. London London Bridge 08:20 Southern 07:16 East Grinstead to London Bridge
2. London London King's Cross 09:02 Great Northern 07:55 Cambridge to London Kings Cross
3. London West Hampstead 17:56 Thameslink 17:08 Sutton to St Albans City
4. London London Blackfriars 08:17 Thameslink 06:57 Brighton to Bedford
5. Manchester Manchester Oxford Road 16:19 TransPennine Express 16:00 Manchester Airport to Edinburgh
6. London London Bridge 08:24 Southern 07:27 Reigate to London Bridge
7. London London Paddington 17:18 Great Western Railway 17:18 London Paddington to Oxford
8. Manchester Manchester Oxford Road 08:22 TransPennine Express 04:22 Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport
9. London London Blackfriars 17:40 Thameslink 16:26 Bedford to Brighton
10. London London Euston 18:13 London Midland 18:13 London Euston to Birmingham New St
Blackfriars had the highest crowding level of all central London stations, while Fenchurch Street had a higher percentage of standing passengers. Almost 150,000 people were standing at trains' busiest points on arrival into central London in the three-hour morning peak.
For spring last year, the top 10 were between 58 per cent and 126 per cent over their passenger capacity, while for autumn, the top 10 were between 77 per cent and 113 per cent over their passenger capacity.
The DfT said all franchises it lets require the train operator to address crowding. "Operators must plan their timetables to ensure, as far as possible, that crowding is not unduly concentrated on any particular route or service," it said.
David Leam, infrastructure director at business group, London First, said:
There is simply not enough room on our railways for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on a train for their daily commute.
Next month’s engineering works at Waterloo will provide a short term fix but it risks being only a sticking plaster.
The government must plan for the long term and deliver on projects like Crossrail 2, otherwise we face further delays, station closures and, for commuters lucky enough to get onto a train, they’ll be crammed in like sardines.
*Read more*: Ranked: Britain's best and worst train companies Reported by City A.M. 53 minutes ago.
A new exhibition called 'The House of Kings and Queens' looks at the experiences of LGBT people in Sierra Leone.
Reported by BBC News 9 hours ago.
South African sides Southern Kings and Cheetahs will join an expanded Pro14 from September, organisers confirm.
Reported by BBC News 3 hours ago.
BBC Local News: Mid Wales -- South African sides Southern Kings and Cheetahs will join an expanded Pro14 from September, organisers confirm.
Reported by BBC Local News 3 hours ago.
BBC Local News: South West Wales -- South African sides Southern Kings and Cheetahs will join an expanded Pro14 from September, organisers confirm.
Reported by BBC Local News 3 hours ago.
