THESE photos show the scene on a commuter train arriving in Worcester, with passengers crammed into a carriage in conditions described as “unbearable".

City resident Jo Martyr captured the scene on the 3.50pm train from Birmingham to Worcester as it arrived at Foregate Street station on Monday, October 14.

Commuters were forced to stand on an overcrowded train, something Mrs Martyr says has only become worse since the number of carriages on the line was reduced.

She said: “I don’t know whether they (West Midlands Railway) even care. I have used that train to get back from work for several years and I don’t know if the perception from their side is that it is not a busy commuter service, but in the run up towards Christmas it is almost unbearable with the increased volume of people coming into Worcester.

“I really do think someone needs to come and do an appraisal because it gets to the point where often you cannot even get onto the train, and even when you can, you have to stand the whole way and it can get unbearably hot.”

West Midlands Railways heralded a major overhaul of train services as a step towards improved capacity – but rush-hour trains between Worcester and Birmingham are being run with fewer and older carriages, because services with more and newer carriages are needed elsewhere.

This has led to trains between the two cities becoming increasingly overcrowded and “unpleasant”, according to Mrs Martyr

Richard Brooks, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said: “We are sorry some passengers in Worcester have experienced recent journeys which have not been as good as they should have been.

“We are listening and we are taking action to improve the situation by adding capacity as soon as possible. It was a requirement of the West Midlands rail franchise to introduce additional services across the network. These changes came into effect earlier this year and some services have had fewer carriages as a result of the amount of rolling stock currently available. Passengers can be reassured that brand new trains to serve Worcester are currently in production and will arrive next year. In the meantime we have been seeking suitable reinforcements and will soon receive trains from TransPennine Express to strengthen the service.”

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