Fears raised over train overcrowding

15 October 2008

Overcrowding on trains could push passengers to use their cars instead, according to fears raised in a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.

The Letting rail franchises 2005-2007 report, which investigated the value for money of eight train franchises signed by the Government since 2005, found that in re-letting the West Midlands franchise in 2007, the Department for Transport ‘substituted a national standard for the previous regional standard on acceptable loading of passengers’.

CENTRO, the Passenger Transport Executive for the West Midlands, said in effect, the definition of full standing capacity had been raised from 110% of seating to 130%. This means 191 people standing on a 148-seat train would be the maximum for planning purposes, compared with 163 people under the previous standard.

The report states concerns the PTE has that ‘overcrowding might influence potential train travellers towards car usage instead’.

www.nao.org.uk

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