“DO you believe in a thing like a Southern train running on time?

The long-running saga of Southern Railway and the overcrowding, strikes, cancellations and delays passengers have had to face have become well known not just in Sussex but around the country.

Now glam-rockers The Darkness, best known for their hit I Believe in a Thing Called Love, have got in on the act by creating a song about how much they hate the service.

Southern Trains is one of the songs featured on the band’s new album Pinewood Smile, which is released next month.

Lead singer Justin Hawkins said: “This song has genuine realness in it.

“My brother Dan and I had to endure the Southern Trains services during the making of this album.

“They are utterly incapable of running a reliable service.

“The rest of the world is laughing at us. I hope this song goes some way towards facilitating change.”

Although the language is colourful in some places, the lyrics spell out the band’s frustration as they describe their journey into “pure despair”.

Lines include: “Major delays, cancellations, tedious conversations.

“Heaving carriages of indignation/Grown men weeping in pure frustration/Totally packed and always late.”

The song also features a video on the band’s website that uses a Snapchat filter and is introduced with the words: “If you are stranded on Southern Rail, we hope this will brighten your commute.”

This is not the first time the company has been targeted by performers.

Using satire to highlight ongoing rail problems, Southern Fail the Musical protested against the “terrible so called service” provided to customers by Southern Rail.

The creators of Brighton’s comedy production The Treason Show were behind the show.

Problems with Southern, whose parent company is Govia Thameslink Railway, have stemmed from staff shortages, infrastructure issues, delays and cancellations and overcrowding.

The firm is involved in a long-running dispute with unions over the introduction of driver-only trains.

A spokesman for Southern said: “Reliability on Southern has increased almost 20 per cent and passenger satisfaction levels are rising.

“We are investing hugely in new trains, technology and stations on the most congested part of the UK railways.

“Passengers will very soon see real benefits in terms of quicker, more frequent journeys and new routes.”

l The Darkness are due to play at Brighton Dome in December.