Call to tackle rail 'overcrowding'

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The White Paper, due to be unveiled by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, must also ensure booked-in-advance saver tickets continue to be protected from huge above-inflation rises, Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said.

The White Paper is expected to give the go-ahead to the eagerly-awaited but much-delayed north-south, cross-London £3.5 billion Thameslink 2000 rail project.

Station improvement plans may include projects at Birmingham New Street and Reading.

And Ms Kelly is thought to be announcing that an extra 300 new carriages in addition to the previously-announced 1,000 will be coming on to the network.

Mr Smith said: "What we want to see is a commitment to improved punctuality, urgent action to tackle ongoing crowding problems in many areas of the country and funding for major projects such as Thameslink, Birmingham New Street and Reading.

"We also want to see an ongoing commitment to fares regulation, at least at the current level. And it is also important that regulation is maintained for saver tickets."

Around 40% of fares, including season tickets and most saver fares, are regulated and cannot rise annually by more than 1% above the inflation rate.

However, passengers have been alarmed by some recent rises of as much as 20% on some off-peak, unregulated fares.

Thameslink 2000 will also improve commuter rail services to and through central London, with capacity in some sections increasing from eight trains an hour to 24.