MP Pritchard calls for legal limits on train passenger numbers

A Shropshire MP who labelled a county train service the "sardine express" due to severe overcrowding has called on government ministers to impose a legal limit on the number of passengers who can travel in any one carriage.

Tory Mark Pritchard has been a long-time critic of services run by both Arriva Trains and London Midland through the county and Mid Wales.

He says limiting the number of passengers who can get on the train would solve the problem and has raised the issue in the Commons - but transport minister Theresa Villiers poured cold water on the idea and said it was unworkable.

She said: "I currently have no plans to assess the merits of putting a legal limit on the number of passengers who can travel in a rail carriage.

"There is no evidence that a limit is required for safety reasons.

"A legal limit would be difficult to enforce and might require all rail passengers to book in advance or risk not being allowed to travel.

"This would be very unpopular with many rail users and probably unworkable on commuter sections of the railway, where most crowding occurs."

Another idea advocated by Mr Pritchard to deal with overcrowding problems in Shropshire and beyond was to add more carriages.

Mrs Villiers said a decision on that would be deferred until after the spending review due to be released in the autumn.

"The forthcoming consultation on rail franchising will also consider ideas for addressing passenger concerns regarding crowding levels," she added.

Mr Pritchard called for action after being contacted by Wellington woman Louise Jenner last year, who fainted while on the Arriva train from Telford to Wolverhampton after claiming she had been packed like a sardine in the walkway of one of the carriages.

The MP said carriages were so congested on trains run by Arriva Trains Wales and London Midland that people would be injured or even killed in the event of a collision or having to stop suddenly.

In March this year, Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski wrote to then Transport Secretary Lord Adonis also calling for action.

By Wayne Beese