MAP: Scotland’s most overcrowded train journeys revealed

SCOTLAND’S top 10 most overcrowded train journeys have been revealed.

The 4.34pm from Edinburgh to Perth is the most overcrowded 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.

Scotland’s 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.

In third place is the 7.55am North Berwick to Haymarket service which runs at 119% of capacity.

The 6.25pm Edinburgh to Glenrothes with Thornton via Dunfermline is at number four, running at 117% of capacity, followed by the 3.20pm from Edinburgh to Tweedbank at 115%, and the 4.35pm from Glasgow Central to Neilston at 112%.

In seventh place is the 6.17pm Glasgow Central to Edinburgh service at 110% of capacity, with the 7.56am Barrhead to Glasgow Central at number eight at 109%.

Ninth in the list is the 5.27pm Glasgow Central to Barrhead journey, and the 10th most overcrowded train is the 9.28am Dunblane to Edinburgh service, which both run at 108% capacity.

The statistics are based on a mix of snapshots and automated passenger counts and exclude trains where the level of overcrowding is for under 10 minutes.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats highlighted the latest Transport Scotland figures from May and called for more investment to improve rail services.

The party’s 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.

“Rail fares have consistently risen faster than wage increases. We will never tempt motorists out of their cars and on to public transport if being packed in like sardines is what they have to look forward to.

“Extra capacity is desperately needed but we know that the new trains which are supposed to provide this won’t now be delivered in full until April 2019. This is well behind the original schedule.”

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 benefiting 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 £54 million on high speed trains will “transform” travel on key routes and between Scottish cities.

More than 30 trains have had leases extended, providing more seats on many routes, she added.

“We wholly appreciate the impact of overcrowding on rail services and, as such, actively publish the top ten busiest trains in an open and transparent fashion on an annual basis,” she said.

“By 2019 we will have increased capacity by 50% over 2007 levels and passengers across the country will reap the benefits of this.”