Season tickets in Rail travel in the United Kingdom

Britain's most overcrowded train

If you plan to explore Britain by train, it's worth noting that the many parts of network - especially around larger cities - is under extreme pressure due to overcrowding. In response to a request for information under the 'Freedom of Information' Act in 2008, the government's Department for Transport released data that listed the most overcrowded trains in the country. They were - with actual passenger numbers, official capacity and percentage over capacity. It must be noted that capacity does not just mean the seats but an agreed "comfortable-standing" level. Thus a figure of 176% means that the train has all its seats full and its allowed standing quota plus on top of that 76% more passengers than that total. A carriage designed to seat 76 passengers and have twelve standing quota will (at be 176% occupancy) be crammed with some 155 people�:

1. 07:15 Cambridge - London King's Cross: 870 (494, 176%)
2. 08:02 Woking - London Waterloo: 865 (492, 176%)
3. 07:45 Cambridge - London King's Cross: 812 (494, 164%)
4. 17:45 London King's Cross - King's Lynn: 808 (494, 164%)
5. 08:22 Oxford - London Paddington: 482 (304, 159%)

Planning journeys outside the rush hours (06:00 - 09:30 & 16:00 - 19:00) can make tickets cheaper and journeys significantly more comfortable.