I was on board the Govia Great Northern 07.55 service at Welwyn Garden City today (24 August) to witness the extreme frustration of commuters unable to board the already overcrowded train. It was shocking to see them hammering on the windows, accusing those already on the train of not occupying “the gaps”, when those gaps in appearance from outside the train were space for arms, legs and bags inside the train. Their frustration was causing them to verbally attack their fellow travellers. This was the same morning that every newspaper ran with the story that Jeremy Corbyn was a variant of some “evil spawn of Satan” for shining a light on train overcrowding (Report, 24 August). As every commuter knows, overcrowding is far more common than a train running on time.
I would hope these angry people will contact their MPs and ask them why they support the programme of privatisations that has caused so many services to cost so much more, without providing the required level of service, and causing customers to turn on each other as objects of blame instead of those same MPs who supported the failing policies in the first place.
Christopher Webb
Stevenage, Hertfordshire
• I’ve recently been on a Virgin train on a Friday evening, from Euston to Birmingham, and experienced Mr Corbyn’s situation: train full and having to sit on the floor, at 76 years of age, until a young man saw me and offered me his seat. I engaged in conversation with him and he confirmed that this wasn’t an exception that the trains were always overcrowded and many passengers stood or sat on the floor. I vowed never to travel with Virgin, avoid Euston’s nightmare and use Chiltern trains. Mr Branson, this is an everyday reality. I applaud Mr Corbyn for bringing it to light.
Magdalena Davis
Birmingham
• Room to sit on the floor? Luxury! Try the GWR 19.15 Paddington to Swansea on a Friday for the complete “ram-packed” sardine experience.
Liz Lloyd
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
• Hate to let the bleeding obvious get in the way of a good story, but why hadn’t Corbyn’s office reserved seats for themselves? Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their organisational skills. Nor their spinning ones, as it turns out.
Ceri Smith
London
• Where does the expression “ram-packed” come from? Has it ousted “jam-packed” as part of a new Labour party sugar-reduction policy?
Michael Harrison
Oxford
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