THE country's most overcrowded train runs from Brighton railway station, new figures have revealed.

The 7am Thameslink service from Brighton to Bedford carries more than twice its capacity with more than 930 commuters squeezed onto a train designed for 420.

The eight carriage train was seen to be at its most overcroweded when it reached London Blackfriars at 8:20am.

The data collected for a Department for Transport report is intended to represent a ‘typical’ weekday (usually Tuesday to Thursday).  More than a third of rail passengers have to stand on trains arriving in parts of London in the morning rush hour, official figures show.

A total of 35% commuters on services into Blackfriars stand, with almost a third at trains into other stations including Waterloo, Fenchurch Street and Moorgate.

Blackfrairs has the biggest percentage of crowding of all major stations in the capital at 14% in the morning peak, the Department for Transport figures showed.

More than 580,000 passengers arrived in London by train on a typical morning peak last autumn, an increase of 3.2% over the previous year.

Lianna Etkind, Public Transport Campaigner, Campaign for Better Transport said: "Rail passengers are paying record amounts for their tickets and it's not acceptable that so many regularly have to stand.

"They have every right to be outraged at the levels of overcrowding - levels which have persisted on some routes for many years "In the next few years, revenue from tickets will exceed the cost of running the railways.

"The millions who rely on the trains want a commitment from the Government that there will be long term investment in rail capacity.

"This mustn't just mean big ticket projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2, but better services right across the country.

“Train companies and Government need to prioritise investing in new rolling stock, and investing in infrastructure like longer platforms, so that longer carriages and more frequent trains can be rolled out onto the network.  "We also need to reduce the pressure on rush hour services, which are often the busiest. The Government must honour its promise to introduce season ticket discounts for part time workers to help tackle overcrowding, and make rail travel more affordable, too."

The report said: "The worsening crowding levels show that capacity provision is not coping with rising levels of passenger demand, which has been the case in London and a number of other cities."

Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: "These statistics reveal the unprecedented scale of passenger demand, with journeys doubling in the past 20 years. We are investing a record £40 billion into the network to address this, delivering 3,700 extra carriages by 2019 and providing a huge boost to capacity through programmes like HS2, Crossrail, and the £6.5 billion Thameslink programme.

"These projects will inevitably cause some disruption while they are carried out, which is why we have capped regulated rail fares at RPI + 0% for this parliament and why we are working hard with Network Rail and train operators to ensure that any inconvenience is minimised.

"The end result will be new trains, better stations, and robust infrastructure to increase capacity, reduce crowding and provide better journeys for all."

The figures also show that 30% of passengers arriving at London stations between 8am and 9am have to stand, up from 26% in 2011.

This compares with 20% of passengers arriving at Birmingham, 16% at Leeds and Manchester, and 12% at Cardiff.

During the evening rush hour, between 5pm and 6pm, 17% of passengers leaving London stations have to stand, up from 14% in 2011.

The same proportion have to stand on services out of Birmingham, while 16% have to stand on departures from Leeds.

All major cities in England and Wales apart from Newcastle experienced a growth in the number of rail passengers over the past year.

In London, more than 160,000 additional passengers travelled by train compared with autumn 2011, the figures showed.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said: "It's long been our contention that privatisation has failed to deliver for rail passengers in Britain. We're disappointed - but not surprised - by these figures.

"Disappointed for those passengers - especially those who are pregnant, or disabled - who have to suffer like this, and for those tourists who come to this country expecting a first class public transport system in a first-world economy.

"Sadly, the privatised train companies are failing to deliver ad this Government is letting them get away with it.

"If you're standing on your train today, then you'll be standing on your train in 10 years' time. Because the government doesn't care enough to do anything about it and the companies only care about making money, not delivering a service."