LONDON commuter trains are to get a 20% increase in seats over the next six years, according to plans released today by Network Rail.
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In raw numbers, that means an extra 115,000 seats for morning rush hour services into town, bringing the daily total to 654,000.
“We aim to build on today’s near record levels of customer satisfaction by providing newer trains, quicker journeys and more seats,” said Michael Roberts, head of the Association of Train Operating Companies.
The 20% increase isn’t quite as good as it sounds as London’s population is due to rise by between 10 and 15% by 2019. A similar population rise is also projected for the south-east of England outside London, from where many commuters travel.
Other London-specific parts of Network Rail’s £37.5 billion five-year plan for 2014-19 centre on the continued revamps of London Bridge and Waterloo stations.
Thameslink services are to be diverted through the Elephant and Castle from 2014-2017 while work is carried out on London Bridge and Waterloo is to finally see the former Eurostar platforms brought into use for normal trains.
