Third of commuters have to stand on trains

Thirty-five per cent of passengers in and out of Blackfriars, in London, cannot get a seat
Thirty-five per cent of passengers in and out of Blackfriars, in London, cannot get a seat
PA

Britain’s trains are so crowded that more than a third of commuters have to stand on some routes in the morning rush hour.

The mainline stations at every major city in the country, apart from Newcastle and Liverpool, are operating over capacity.

The problems are worst in London where more than one million people travel into the city by train every day, an increase of 160,000 on five years ago, an inquiry by the Department for Transport reports.

“The worsening crowding levels show that capacity provision is not coping with rising levels of passenger demand, which has been the case in London and a number of other cities,” it says.

More than one in five commuters travelling in and out of London now have to