Train overcrowding 'worse than London'

By Alan Whitehouse
BBC North of England transport correspondent

Commuter trains in West Yorkshire are now more overcrowded than those into London.

The problem is a shortage of rolling stock

Peak time passenger numbers in the county are up by around 40% since privatisation in 1997.

The problem is that investment in the rail system has not kept pace.

When the system was privatised it was short of carriages and still is.

Starting every day with too few coaches means it is inevitable that some trains will be sent out with fewer carriages than they should have.

It is this, rather than cancelled trains, that is causing the problem.

Fuming passengers

Officials at West Yorkshire Metro say on some services there are twice as many people wanting to travel as there is space.

What happens instead is that some passengers get left behind to fume while they wait for the next train.

According to the Commons Transport Select Committee, West Yorkshire's problem is now so acute that its peak time trains are more overcrowded than even the commuter services in London and the south east.

They say West Yorkshire's commuter trains are now running at 9% over capacity.

Uphill struggle

Which does not sound a lot until you realise that this is concentrated into a relative handful of peak trains which everyone wants to use because everyone wants to get to work at more or less the same time.

Officials at Metro are now talking hard with the Strategic Rail Authority about a long term fix.

Early next year, the rail authority plans to set up a new franchise covering all local and commuter services in the whole of the north of England.

Metro says it wants to make sure that this time the new franchise is set up with enough carriages to run a proper timetable.

But with money short and any extra trains expensive, it may be an uphill struggle.