A COMMUTER fainted on a crowded train as passengers struggled to get home amid hundreds of late services.

The woman, aged in her early 30s, collapsed to the ground as the Southern train drew up at Hove station 35 minutes late at 6pm.

Passengers had been forced to abandon a train at Haywards Heath to squeeze onto the hot and crowded Hove-bound train opposite and the woman was suffering badly by the time it hit the coast.

After collapsing she was helped to her feet by fellow passengers and seemed to recover quickly according to eyewitness Ben Lambert.

The 42-year-old, from Hove, was only on the train after delays at Clapham Junction caused him to catch a Brighton-bound train back from London.

But when the service stopped unexpectedly at Haywards Heath, the driver announced that the additional delay meant he had to turn around to London and passengers then crossed the platform to squeeze onto the hot and crowded Hove-bound train opposite.

Mr Lambert said: “It was so packed around the doors that when we were nearing Hove the woman next to me collapsed and fainted onto the floor.

“We get her onto her feet and she was dizzy and confused and I was getting out and people were trying to create some space for her."

It was another frustrating day for Govia Thameslink customers with more than 50 per cent of the Brighton Mainline services delayed or cancelled.

More than 800 trains across the network were more than ten minutes late, with more than 250 of those registered as “more than 30 minutes late or cancelled.

Mr Lambert, whose day had already been disrupted by two cancelled northbound trains in the morning, dismounted the train and did not see whether a seated passenger gave up their chair for the woman.

He explained: “It was dangerously overcrowded. It wasn’t that the air conditioning wasn’t working but people were just squeezed in so close. When there’s so many cancellations it’s the passengers who suffer.

“It’s not just the delays it’s the discomfort. This woman was okay but it’s not going to take long before something does happen. Unless Southern and the conductors sort out their dispute there’s going to be a serious medical incident.”

A spokeswoman for Southern Rail said: “Our control teams have not received any reports of passengers being taken ill on our trains this evening.

“Crowd control measures have been put in place at Victoria and Brighton stations to help ease congestion and maintain the safety of our passenger as we unfortunately experience service disruption this evening.”