COMMUTERS who travel on one of the busiest train lines in the country are calling for an extra service to ease congestion.

Those who make the early slog on the Thameslink 6.57am from Brighton to Bedford say it is so busy that there are rarely seats and getting off at your station is near impossible because of the crowds.

The journey was in the top ten overcrowded services according to data from the Department for Transport (DfT) which looked at standard class passengers on weekday services from autumn last year.

Carla Barrett gets on the train in Brighton and travels to Farringdon.

Ms Barrett, 28, said: “From Haywards Heath it is standing only.

“There is a train at 6.19am but that’s too early. If there was one in between then and the 6.57am it would give people more options and it wouldn’t get as busy.”

For Paula Park, the congestion on the line is baffling.

She has been getting the 6.57am this week instead of her usual 5.47am commute, and there is a stark contrast between those times for her.

Ms Park, 60, gets off at Blackfriars.

She said: “It is a lot busier, certainly by Haywards Heath and then Gatwick. Another train would be really helpful, maybe starting at Haywards Heath.

“Getting on at Brighton means I can always get a good seat, but it’s getting off which is a struggle. It takes me about five minutes to get out the door – people just clamp up.”

By the time Friday’s train got to Gatwick, there were no spare seats –with some people deciding to sit on the floor.

Michael Plank has been getting the line from Haywards Heath for 20 years, and he says despite the good maintenance standards of Thameslink carriages, they need to do more to aid the busy flow.

Mr Plank, 48, said: “The line is getting busier. Usually four out of five weekdays I have to stand from when I get on to when I get off. Once I had to sit on my bike the entire journey because the train was so packed. To be fair, there is never any disruption with the times. It is just getting a seat.”

The DfT said additional carriages cannot be added to the train but when the Thameslink Programme is completed next year there will be extra services on routes south of London to boost capacity.