Ministers will announce that carriages will be used to lengthen trains on the most congested parts of the network.

Much of the extra rolling stock is likely to be used on the jammed network serving London and south-east England, where passenger increases are highest.

It is understood the government wants them introduced by 2014.

BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds says the carriages - equivalent to about one-tenth of the current total fleet - will be newly-built.

The government will pay for them, to be leased to the train companies at a cost of about £130 million a year, he says.

Number-one problem

As well as relieving the problems in south-east England, crowded cities in the rest of England and Wales are also expected to benefit.

Last year, there was a 10% rise in the numbers of people taking the train.

Overcrowding has rapidly become the number-one problem facing the railways.

Train companies have been making dire warnings about the future, and passengers are being told they will have to stand more often.

The government is expected to promise the new carriages on Wednesday, and later this year it will publish a wider strategy to improve the capacity of the rail network.

See also:

Extra 1,000 carriages to ease rail congestion

Daily Telegraph: 14/03/2007
By John Crowley

An extra 1,000 train carriages - equivalent to about one-tenth of the current total - will be provided for Britain’s railways in a bid to tackle overcrowding, it will be announced today.

Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, is due to announce that the newly-built carriages will be used to lengthen trains on the most congested parts of the network.

The majority are likely to be provided to the network serving London and south-east England, where passenger increases are highest.

It is understood that Mr Alexander, MP for Paisley & Renfrewshire South, will say the Government wants them introduced by 2014.

The Government will pay for the carriages and then will lease them to the train companies at a cost of about £130 million a year.

Last year, there was a 10 per cent rise in the number of people travelling by train.

Train companies have been making dire warnings about the future, and passengers are being told they will have to stand more often.

George Muir, director general of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said that without the extra carriages, passenger conditions would become "even more intolerable".

He said more still would be needed by 2014 and conceded that further work was needed on some platforms before the longer trains could be used.

"The railways are proving enormously successful - there's an enormous growth in passenger numbers - and if we don't put more carriages on, conditions are going to get even more intolerable than they are now," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We've got to see the details, but 1,000 carriages, when we get them on the track carrying passengers, that'll make a lot of difference.

"It's about 10 per cent and if we put it on the routes where it's really needed...it could add up to 20 per cent extra capacity."

Asked if present platforms could cope, he said: "Not quite. Infrastructure is required to do it, particularly on the approaches to Waterloo and into Paddington and the Thameslink programme which goes north/south across London."

He predicted that the extra capacity would soon be used up. "It's going to be a little bit neck and neck to keep the capacity and the growth alongside each other.

"But this 1,000 is a good step. By 2014 I think it won't be enough and we will be ordering more."

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1,000 NEW CARRIAGES TO EASE RAIL CRUSHES

Daily Mirror: 14/03/2007
By Adrian Shaw

BRITAIN'S rail network is to get an extra 1,000 carriages to tackle overcrowding, it will be announced today.

The rolling stock will be introduced by 2014 and expand the entire fleet by 10 per cent.

Most of the extra carriages will be used in London and the South East, where overcrowding is at its worst.

They will be paid for by the Government, which will lease the coaches to train firms for about £130 million a year, ministers are set to announce.

The move comes as the number of people travelling by train rose by 10 per cent nationwide last year. At the same time, complaints about overcrowding during rush hour rocketed.

Rail companies have warned that if passenger numbers increase further, more people will have to stand up during their journeys.

And last month, Dr Mike Mitchell, the Department of Transport's head of railways, caused outrage when he said it was "unreasonable" for people making half-hour journeys in rush hour to expect to get a seat.

His comments were echoed by Rail Minister Tom Harris, who said: "You can't pour a pint of water into a half pint glass."

In January, a House of Commons debate on overcrowding, delays and train cancellations forced First Great Western to make a public apology for the state of its services.

Just days later, Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander met FGW boss Muir Lockhead to voice his concerns.

Meanwhile, furious commuters in Berkshire have organised petitions complaining of increased overcrowding.

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AFX: 03/14/07

UK govt to buy new trains to ease overcrowding, Saver fares could rise

LONDON - The British government will today announce plans to buy about 1,000 train carriages to tackle overcrowding on the UK rail network, according to a report.

Ministers are expected to say the coaches will be used to lengthen trains on the most congested parts of the railway, such as commuter routes in London and the south east, the BBC reported.

The government will pay for the carriages and leasing firms such as Royal Bank of Scotland's Angel Trains, Abbey's Porterbrook and HSBC Rail will lease them to train operators at a cost of about 130 mln stg a year, the BBC said.

Train manufacturers Bombardier Inc, Siemens AG, Alstom and Hitachi are all likely to be interested in building the stock.

Ministers are likely to use the move to defuse criticism from passenger groups that train operators are hiking fares to reduce overcrowding.

Passenger watchdogs today repeated warnings that people are being priced off the railways in response to news that the government is considering allowing train firms to raise the price of discounted Saver fares just after the morning peak and in the late afternoon, according to a report in today's Guardian.

Watchdogs say Savers are crucial because they are cheaper than full fares and can be bought for use on the same day on most off-peak trains, unlike advance-booked fares, which force people to take specified services.