Sardine express! 7.16am from East Grinstead to London is England’s most crowded train

THE overcrowding on our railways was laid bare yesterday by official figures showing that some trains have been carrying more than twice as many passengers as they should.

Southern Railway’s 7.16am train from East Grinstead in West Sussex to London Bridge was named as the most packed in England and Wales.

The service typically has 1,366 people crammed into a dozen carriages designed for 640, according to the figures from the Department for Transport. This is a load factor of 213 per cent – higher than any other service in England and Wales. Five of the ten most packed trains from spring 2016 and two from autumn were operated by Southern, which has been plagued by more than a year of strikes and disruption.

Other journeys making the top ten overcrowded list include the 6.57am Brighton to Bedford, with 1,215 passengers on a train meant for 630, the 7.55am Cambridge to London King’s Cross, with 426 passengers on a train meant for 202, and the 4pm Manchester Airport to Edinburgh service, with 357 travelling on a train for 191.

The 7.27am Reigate to London Bridge service is meant to carry 669 passnegers but squeezes in 1,233 and the 5.18pm from London Paddington to Oxford carries 445 on a train meant for 242.Those travelling to London continue to endure the worst overcrowding. In 2016, 583,000 passengers arrived during a typical morning rush hour, and 150,000 of them had to stand.

Trains into London Blackfriars were the busiest, with 39 per cent unable to find a seat. This compares to 16 per cent on trains into Leeds and 14.1 per cent into Manchester.

Alex Hayman of Which? said: ‘This data bears out once again that the rail sector continues to fail passengers. It is unacceptable that so many have to battle with constant delays and daily overcrowding.’

The railways have struggled to cope as the number of passenger journeys has more than doubled over the past 20 years.