Rail crowding set to get worse as SWT shortens its trains

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South West Trains said that some 12- carriage trains will be reduced to eight carriages and eight-car services will be cut to four. Union leaders warned that the move - revealed in a leaked memo - would dramatically increase overcrowding. It comes a day after the company announced it was cutting 500 jobs to cut costs. Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: "Shortening trains can only lead to more cattle truck conditions. This is yet another example of the owners Stagecoach squeezing the passengers until the pips squeak.

"With reduced opening hours at ticket offices, fares up again, nearly 500 jobs being cut and now shorter trains, passengers will be entitled to be worried about what on earth is coming next."

Stagecoach recently reported a 25 per cent increase in operating profits to £31.7 million for the six months ending 31 October.

South West Trains increased rushhour fares by an average six per cent and off-peak fares by more than seven per cent this month.

This week ministers had to step in to prevent SWT reducing opening hours at 114 station ticket offices. Transport minister Lord Adonis described some of the closures as "unacceptable," but more than half of offices will still have reduced opening times.

A spokeswoman for the company said rush-hour services would not be affected by the cost-cutting drive. However critics said some off-peak services were just as crowded because of new staggered work times.

She said the reduction in carriages was being done for "economic and environmental" reasons and only trains carrying few passengers would be reduced. "We don't want just to be carrying fresh air," she said.

SWT carries 440,000 passengers a day to and from Waterloo.

In a statement today the company confirmed the job cuts and said: "We are proposing to reduce the cost of our rail operations and make some changes to the way we manage our business, but we will still continue to operate the same number of train services."