Complaints about crowded trains soar

COMPLAINTS about overcrowded trains have risen sharply.

Not being able to find a seat – or even a place to stand up comfortably – is now the second biggest bugbear for rail passengers, according to the Office of Rail and Road watchdog. Reliability remains the biggest problem for passengers.

Four operators – Great Western Railway, TransPennine Express, Arriva Train Wales and East Midland Trains – were largely responsible for the backlash from commuters fed up with packed carriages.

On East Midland, complaints about sufficient room accounts for almost three in ten complaints (29 per cent) – a rise from 21 per cent in a year. On Great Western they jumped from 7.4 per cent to 13 per cent, and on TransPennine Express they shot up from 21.9 per cent to 38.5 per cent.

David Sidebottom, of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘The rail industry must continue to deliver the much-needed increase in train capacity. This will require continued investment in new and longer trains to meet existing demand.’

The figures compared the final three months of last year with the same period the previous year. In total, overcrowded trains accounted for 9 per cent of all complaints, up from 6.8 per cent.

Despite falling slightly, late trains account for 27 per cent of complaints. Overall 13 train companies saw an increase in complaints over the year, while nine saw a decrease.

The complaints rate for Great Western doubled to 52 complaints per 100,000 journeys. The operator blamed ‘periods of poor weather; pre-planned engineering work; and infrastructure challenges which all would have had an impact on our ability to deliver our timetabled service’.

Rail passengers issued with a penalty fare after making an ‘honest mistake’ will have greater protection under rules which come into force today. Anyone with a genuine reason for not having a valid ticket will be able to challenge a penalty through an independent committee unconnected to train companies.