SCOTLAND’S top 10 most overcrowded train journeys have been revealed.
The 4.34pm from Edinburgh to Perth ranks top of the list, at 136% of planned capacity.
The two-carriage train has carried 234 passengers at peak periods despite its official capacity being 172 seated and standing.
The second most packed train service is the 8.07am from Neilston to Glasgow Central, which runs at 123% of capacity, carrying 64 extra passengers at its busiest. The statistics are based on a mix of snapshots and automated passenger counts, and exclude trains where the level of overcrowding is for less than 10 minutes.
In third place is the 7.55am North Berwick to Haymarket service (119%), followed by the 6.25pm Edinburgh to Glenrothes via Dunfermline (117%), the 3.20pm from Edinburgh to Tweedbank (115%), and the 4.35pm from Glasgow Central to Neilston (112%).
In seventh place is the 6.17pm Glasgow Central to Edinburgh service (110%) with the 7.56am Barrhead to Glasgow Central at number eight (109%). Rounding off the list are the 5.27pm Glasgow Central to Barrhead and 9.28am Dunblane to Edinburgh service (both 108%).
The Liberal Democrats highlighted the latest Transport Scotland figures from May and called for more investment to improve rail services. Transport spokesman Mike Rumbles said: “Commuters and tourists are shelling out more of their hard-earned money than ever before to perch in corridors on overcrowded trains.”
A ScotRail spokesman said: “The work we are doing to introduce brand new and upgraded trains will significantly boost the number of seats available to our customers across the country. Customers across the network are already benefitting from the considerable investment in our trains and we are working round the clock to deliver even more.”
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said the £475 million investment in new Hitachi trains and £54m on high-speed trains will “transform” travel on key routes.
She added: “We wholly appreciate the impact of overcrowding on rail services. By 2019 we will have increased capacity by 50% over 2007 levels.”
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