Commuters fined after being forced to stand in first class on overcrowded trains
Commuters who have been forced to stand on busy rush hour services have been fined for standing in first class carriages without an appropriate ticket.
It's been reported that Southern Rail passengers have been told to pay as much as £20 despite the fact there was physically no room for them to stand elsewhere, the Daily Mail reports.
Angry commuters have taken to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the poor services provided by Southern Rail recently.
Stuck on crammed, now much delayed @SouthernRailUK service .. Oh the irony, will I make my meeting with the Rail Minister?
— Caroline Ansell (@Caroline_Ansell) May 20, 2015
While another called for his fellow passengers to follow his suit and write to the rail companys CEO.
According to the Evening Standard passengers on the 7.36am train between Oxted and London Bridge were fined for standing in first class.
Amazingly only 7 per cent of Southern peak trains ran on time in 2014-15, and reports also show that the company performed the worst out of any in the final quarter of 2014.
I emailed CEO @SouthernRailUK yesterday. I suggest you all do the same until the service improves. They should be reducing cost for bad svc
— HRH Prince Chris (@chris0scott) May 21, 2015
Pete Boyland was on board the train and said: "The train was so packed in fact that the 'revenue officers' were unable to pass through to me to check my ticket, despite my clear proximity to them."
He added: "This is a fine example of the attitude of Southern, who only seem concerned about protecting their revenue, and less about providing an acceptable level of service."
The Daily Mail reported that last week Southern decided to drop a station stop from their Brighton to Victoria line as well as adding three minutes to the schedule to combat statistics showing that the service never arrived on time in 2014.
Max Conrad, a Southern passenger, said: "I know it's a first world problem but it frustrates me.
"Thirty minutes makes the difference between seeing my son before he goes to bed and not."
Related articles
Commuter who was hit on head by Tube train at Stockwell dies
Double-decker trains to beat overcrowding in Britain?
Southern Rail's Brighton to London service is the worst in Britain