Open Access

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I disagree with the view expressed by Michael Ferrier ( Analysis, RAIL 848) that legal limits should be imposed on the number of passengers a train should be allowed to carry.

First, what is the need for such a law? I cannot think of any recent rail accident caused by overcrowding. Certainly, if an accident does occur the number of deaths and injuries is likely to be greater in an overcrowded train, but that is simply a result of the number of passengers on the train compared with a train with a normal load. Overcrowding itself is extremely unlikely to be the cause of an accident.

Second, people are not forced to join trains. People probably will join an overcrowded train simply because they want to reach their destination as soon as possible, but they usually have the option of waiting on the platform for a later, less crowded train. Therefore, such a law would restrict people’s freedom to choose.

Third, it is inappropriate to compare trains with other forms of transport. With buses, ships and aircraft there is usually only one point of entry, and that can be policed by staff to ensure not too many people board. Trains have many points of entry, and they cannot all be policed.

In any case, although one carriage might be overcrowded, it is often the case that passengers (once aboard) can move along the train to a less crowded carriage. Rick Zaple, Cardiff