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| Crowded out | Crowded out |
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| By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine | By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine |
| Standing room only... an everyday experience for many commuters Concerns about rail reliability are giving way to a growing bugbear among hard-pressed commuters - overcrowding. And it can only get worse if passenger numbers continue to grow. So what is the answer? | Standing room only... an everyday experience for many commuters Concerns about rail reliability are giving way to a growing bugbear among hard-pressed commuters - overcrowding. And it can only get worse if passenger numbers continue to grow. So what is the answer? |
| Once again, snow has blighted many a rail journey this week. But one headache for rail passengers that won't go away when temperatures rise in a few weeks is the question of whether there will be a free seat. | Once again, snow has blighted many a rail journey this week. But one headache for rail passengers that won't go away when temperatures rise in a few weeks is the question of whether there will be a free seat. |
| Or on the most overcrowded routes, whether there will be space to even get on. | Or on the most overcrowded routes, whether there will be space to even get on. |
| Bristol commuters this week staged a protest about services, partly due to severe overcrowding. And in London, the Evening Standard newspaper has been championing the case of commuters squashed into trains coming in and out of the capital. | Bristol commuters this week staged a protest about services, partly due to severe overcrowding. And in London, the Evening Standard newspaper has been championing the case of commuters squashed into trains coming in and out of the capital. |
| How things have changed. After the Hatfield train crash in 2000 and the restrictions that followed, punctuality and cancellations were the key complaints but massive investment has gone some way to address that. | How things have changed. After the Hatfield train crash in 2000 and the restrictions that followed, punctuality and cancellations were the key complaints but massive investment has gone some way to address that. |
| A report due on Monday by Passenger Focus, the national rail consumer watchdog, is expected to highlight overcrowding and price as the key complaints. The group estimates 70,000 people stand every morning on trains coming into London. | A report due on Monday by Passenger Focus, the national rail consumer watchdog, is expected to highlight overcrowding and price as the key complaints. The group estimates 70,000 people stand every morning on trains coming into London. |
| An average day on the TubeIts chief executive Anthony Smith says improvements to punctuality and new rolling stock are partly to blame because they have made the trains a more attractive alternative to congested roads. | An average day on the TubeIts chief executive Anthony Smith says improvements to punctuality and new rolling stock are partly to blame because they have made the trains a more attractive alternative to congested roads. |
| He says there's a "double-whammy" of new passengers staying because they are enjoying more trains running on time, plus old passengers using the network more than they did before. | He says there's a "double-whammy" of new passengers staying because they are enjoying more trains running on time, plus old passengers using the network more than they did before. |
| "And in the last decade we haven't had any major boost to the ability of the network to carry more passengers, so it's getting more crowded." | "And in the last decade we haven't had any major boost to the ability of the network to carry more passengers, so it's getting more crowded." |
| The commercial boom in some UK cities has also generated more commuters, he says. And while fare rises have made the headlines, season tickets - favoured by most of those who travel at peak times - are protected by the government so there is less flexibility. | The commercial boom in some UK cities has also generated more commuters, he says. And while fare rises have made the headlines, season tickets - favoured by most of those who travel at peak times - are protected by the government so there is less flexibility. |
| Leeds boom | Leeds boom |
| Nowhere is this national picture illustrated as neatly as in Leeds. The economic renaissance has seen passenger numbers increase by as much as 18% on some lines, while roads in and out of the city have got more congested. | Nowhere is this national picture illustrated as neatly as in Leeds. The economic renaissance has seen passenger numbers increase by as much as 18% on some lines, while roads in and out of the city have got more congested. |
| Tim Calow, 46, regularly gets the 5.20pm from Leeds City station to Skipton, which is a 40-minute journey. | Tim Calow, 46, regularly gets the 5.20pm from Leeds City station to Skipton, which is a 40-minute journey. |
| "We have about 200 people in a four-carriage train, so there's 50 or so in each carriage. It's extremely full and uncomfortable. You'd be struggling to read a newspaper. But at the moment we all fit and we're not leaving people behind. | "We have about 200 people in a four-carriage train, so there's 50 or so in each carriage. It's extremely full and uncomfortable. You'd be struggling to read a newspaper. But at the moment we all fit and we're not leaving people behind. |
| "Overcrowding is the key issue on my line. The service is reliable and we have modern trains but there's not any sign of investment to increase capacity." | "Overcrowding is the key issue on my line. The service is reliable and we have modern trains but there's not any sign of investment to increase capacity." |
| DOUBLE-DECKER TRAINS Travelled between Dartford and London between 1949 and 1971Designed by Oliver Bulleid They were too stuffy upstairs and many people stood on the lower deckThe long time it took to get people on and off added to their unpopularity class="" href="/1/hi/uk/6285629.stm">Passengers' ruch-hour protest | |
| He fears if numbers continue to grow, people will be left behind on the platform - a scene painfully familiar to people who work in London and Manchester. | He fears if numbers continue to grow, people will be left behind on the platform - a scene painfully familiar to people who work in London and Manchester. |
| Capacity is not a new issue, says rail expert Christian Wolmar, because passenger numbers nationally have been growing for a long time and improved performance in recent years - paid for by tax-payers - is only one reason, along with a rise in affluence and more congested roads. | Capacity is not a new issue, says rail expert Christian Wolmar, because passenger numbers nationally have been growing for a long time and improved performance in recent years - paid for by tax-payers - is only one reason, along with a rise in affluence and more congested roads. |
| The answer, he says, is more rolling stock, double-decker trains, longer trains and extended platforms. | The answer, he says, is more rolling stock, double-decker trains, longer trains and extended platforms. |
| "They all have to be paid for by tax-payers," he says. "You can't expect the money raised from fares to pay for them because the investment doesn't get a rate of return from the fare-box and that's been true of railway economics since they started." | "They all have to be paid for by tax-payers," he says. "You can't expect the money raised from fares to pay for them because the investment doesn't get a rate of return from the fare-box and that's been true of railway economics since they started." |
| I don't think the idea that everyone can have a seat is feasible Christian WolmarRail expert | I don't think the idea that everyone can have a seat is feasible Christian WolmarRail expert |
| Double-decker trains would require costly engineering work to make tracks suitable, he says, so longer trains and more rolling stock are a cheaper short-term option. | Double-decker trains would require costly engineering work to make tracks suitable, he says, so longer trains and more rolling stock are a cheaper short-term option. |
| Whether the Treasury will put its hand in its pocket will become clear in the summer, when a government white paper on rail funding for the next five years is unveiled. | Whether the Treasury will put its hand in its pocket will become clear in the summer, when a government white paper on rail funding for the next five years is unveiled. |
| And with a strong economic and environmental case to make for an effective railway network, it is expected some money for investing in extra capacity will be available. | And with a strong economic and environmental case to make for an effective railway network, it is expected some money for investing in extra capacity will be available. |
| "The government may be willing to write a cheque for new trains but it will also be keen to put the burden on fare-payers rather than the tax-payers," says Mr Smith. "So pressure on prices will become immense." | "The government may be willing to write a cheque for new trains but it will also be keen to put the burden on fare-payers rather than the tax-payers," says Mr Smith. "So pressure on prices will become immense." |
| It would be at least another two years before new carriages were in use and probably longer for the altered platforms, he adds. | It would be at least another two years before new carriages were in use and probably longer for the altered platforms, he adds. |
| Infrared beams | Infrared beams |
| The Association of Train Operating Companies says passenger numbers could increase by as much as 30-40% in the next 10 years, but it says there have already been engineering projects bearing fruit. | The Association of Train Operating Companies says passenger numbers could increase by as much as 30-40% in the next 10 years, but it says there have already been engineering projects bearing fruit. |
| Chiltern Railways got together with Network Rail to improve capacity by doubling the track, improving signalling and building two new platforms at Marylebone station in London. | Chiltern Railways got together with Network Rail to improve capacity by doubling the track, improving signalling and building two new platforms at Marylebone station in London. |
| Sophisticated new rolling stock uses infrared technology to count passengers and alert the operator to where new carriages may be required. The improvements mean that although passenger numbers have doubled in the past 10 years, so has the size of the fleet. | Sophisticated new rolling stock uses infrared technology to count passengers and alert the operator to where new carriages may be required. The improvements mean that although passenger numbers have doubled in the past 10 years, so has the size of the fleet. |
| South West Trains has redesigned its carriages on suburban routes into London so there are less seats - controversially - but more space for passengers and bikes. | South West Trains has redesigned its carriages on suburban routes into London so there are less seats - controversially - but more space for passengers and bikes. |
| It's not as bad as in Bangladesh | It's not as bad as in Bangladesh |
| Engineering is not the only tool to solve the problem. Simply encouraging passengers to travel outside peak hours can help and some commentators have called for a restructuring of the rail industry in favour of less centralised decision-making. | Engineering is not the only tool to solve the problem. Simply encouraging passengers to travel outside peak hours can help and some commentators have called for a restructuring of the rail industry in favour of less centralised decision-making. |
| So will crowding remain a fact of life? Rail civil servant Mike Mitchell was condemned for saying it was unrealistic for people travelling into London in peak hours to be guaranteed a seat, but Mr Wolmar says he had a point. | So will crowding remain a fact of life? Rail civil servant Mike Mitchell was condemned for saying it was unrealistic for people travelling into London in peak hours to be guaranteed a seat, but Mr Wolmar says he had a point. |
| "I don't think the idea that everyone can have a seat is feasible. You would have to invest so much to meet a demand that happens twice a day. | "I don't think the idea that everyone can have a seat is feasible. You would have to invest so much to meet a demand that happens twice a day. |
| "There has to be a societal balance about that. Mr Mitchell got slagged off for saying that but technically he's right." | "There has to be a societal balance about that. Mr Mitchell got slagged off for saying that but technically he's right." |
Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |