Thursday 03 January 2019 7:59 am | Updated: Monday 03 June 2019 3:06 am

Overcrowding on trains close to a record high as commuters warned it will get even worse

Overcrowding on trains has hit one of its highest ever levels – but is likely to get even worse, according to Labour.

The 10 most overcrowded peak train routes are already running at 187 per cent overcapacity, the party’s analysis found, an increase of 25 per cent since 2011.

And they are likely to get much worse – at up to 207 per cent overcapacity by the end of the current parliament.

In 2018 cancelled or delayed services were also at their worst level in 17 years, according to Labour's study.

The most overcrowded service in 2018 was the 4.22am train from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport, the analysis found.

The news comes after rail fares shot up by an average of 3.1 per cent yesterday despite commuters suffering a year of rail chaos following botched timetables in May that led to weeks of cancellations and delays.

The increase in ticket prices led to protests in stations across the UK, including Kings Cross in London.

Meanwhile, Press Association data has revealed that one in seven trains in 2018 ran at least five minutes late.

“Under the Tories, fares have risen three times faster than average wages and severe disruption has blighted the network meaning services are often delayed or cancelled,” Andy McDonald, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said.

“It’s outrageous that passengers will be hit with yet another above-inflation fares rise following such a miserable year on the railway. Making passengers pay more to travel on increasingly overcrowded trains is simply not sustainable.

“The government’s blind obsession with privatisation is putting the future of the railway at risk. Labour will do what’s best for passengers and taxpayers by taking the railway back into public ownership in order to improve services and cap fares.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson defended the government’s running of the railways, pointing to a £48bn investment into modernising the rail network to reduce overcrowding and improve performance.

“The first significant national investment as part of this plan is starting now on Transpennine and is providing new rolling stock across the country to improve passenger journeys,” they said.

“Privatisation has reversed the decline seen under British Rail, where passenger numbers fell and stations and routes closed but we have acknowledged that 20 years on we need to review the position. That’s why we have set up the Williams Review to look into the whole rail network.

“Our investment in new projects like HS2 and East-West Rail is also creating the space our rail network needs for the future.”