Great Western Coffee Shop

The Department for Transport publishes an annula survey of transport trends.  Here's the figures published today (15 Feb 2007) dated 2006 and using 2005 as "last year".

The Government has a target to reduce overcrowding on London commuter services by 2010.  Overcrowding during the morning and evening peaks is monitored, in terms of Passengers In  Excess of Capacity (PIXC). This is the proportion of passengers on trains in excess of the seat  capacity for longer distance services, and with an allowance for standing passengers on shorter  journeys of less than 20 minutes. There are limits on the level of acceptable PIXC at 4.5 per cent  on one peak and 3.0 per cent across both peaks. The train operating companies conduct an      annual autumn count.

The PIXC measure fell in the early 1990s but increased from 1996, particularly in the morning  peak. In 2000 and 2001, the am peak figure exceeded 4.5 per cent but has since fallen. In 2005,   the excess was 4.0 in the morning peak and 1.6 in the evening peak - an average of 2.9 across  both peaks. The greatest overcrowding occurs in the morning peaks, and the highest levels of  overcrowding in 2005 were in trains by South West Trains at 6.2 per cent, First Great Western  Link and Thameslink, both at 5.6 per cent. Silverlink trains in the evening peak were at a level  of 5.8 per cent.  Last year, Southern had the highest level over overcrowding at 7.8 per cent in  the morning peak.