http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=BJG0PB0YPTBFVQFIQMFCFF4AVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/01/17/nrail117.xml

Rail chief tells commuters they must stand

By Sally Peck and agencies
Last Updated: 3:56pm GMT 17/01/2007

The row over the quality of British train services intensified today as the top rail official said commuters should not expect seats during peak periods.

Dr Mike Mitchell, director general of railways at the Department for Transport, said it was "not realistic" for passengers travelling into London during the commuter peak to expect seats. He said ensuring seats would be too costly, and encouraged communters to travel in off-peak hours instead.

Gerry Doherty, general secretary for Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, the transport union, said "Dr Mitchell is arrogant and out of touch if he thinks this is acceptable for commuters not to get a seat when they are paying £5,000 a year to commute into London.

"It is his job to provide more trains and longer trains so commuters do not have to endure cattle-truck like conditions to get to work. They are paying through the nose for a second class service.

"The Department of Transport should be working towards a first-class service for everyone. The vast majority of commuters simply cannot afford to travel first class in comfort like senior civil servants and MPs."

Dr Mitchell delivered his warning when he appeared before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee today.

When asked by Richard Bacon, south Norfolk MP, whether commuters paying £4,000 to £5,000 for a season ticket should be expected to stand, Dr Mitchell said: "If you are travelling a relatively short distance, I do not think that it is unacceptable to expect to stand in the peak."

Mr Bacon asked: "What do you call a short distance?"

Dr Mitchell replied: "Perhaps half an hour."

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So don't expect a seat from Reading to London.

And we all know which esteemed Passenger Transport provider Dr Mitchell worked for, before moving to the DfT!!!

The link below contains more on this.
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/01/commuters_cant_all_sit_down_sa.html#more

Apparently , "Dr Mitchell walked to work during the week and bought a standard rail ticket at weekends." & "FGW has agreed to bring six to eight carriages out of storage. However, it said that they would operate for a limited period."

"The company said that it was creating an extra 8,000 seats a day on its services but admitted that most of the increase would come from squeezing more seats on to existing trains. The number of tables will be reduced by more than half and passengers will have less legroom."

Tom Harris supported Dr Mitchell yesterday. He said: “It’s not realistic that passengers get a seat for every journey.” He said that trains might be lengthened “in the long term”, but refused to give any date , and would not rule out further above-inflation fare increases.