Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to the publication of the publication of the ten most overcrowded peak train services by the Department for Transport, said:

“As well as enduring inflation busting fares increases, this misery map shows the reality of life for commuters under David Cameron. Some services are carrying twice as many passengers as they should, a far cry from the ‘comfortable commuting’ which out-of-touch ministers imagine on the railways.

“The Government’s West Coast franchise fiasco has delayed investment in new carriages on the Great Western line, where some first class seats have been reclassified as standard seats in a desperate attempt at patch and mend. In the north of England, Transpennine Express passengers will lose 18 carriages in spring 2015 adding to the problems of Manchester commuters.

“Labour’s plan for the railways would tackle the cost-of-living crisis and drive the biggest reform of the railways since privatisation. We will cap rail fares, legislate for a public sector operator, devolve the running of regional and local services and deliver a railway for passengers, not profit.”