Bad News For Frotteurists

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 193 months ago
Bad News For Frotteurists
0102_carriage.jpg

If you're the forward-thinking type who likes to read Londonist on your BlackBerry or iPhone while heading to or from work, yet resent having the myriad delights of John Q Stranger's armpit swabbed over your face on yet another overcrowded carriage, some good news: the government has promised an extra 100,000 seats across the country's rail networks.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly confirmed that a 10% increase in rolling stock is planned, with around 600 new carriages earmarked for London. About bloody time too. The last decade has seen an increase of 40% in passenger numbers, a contributory factor no doubt to the rise of the average British commute from 35 minutes in 2003 to just over an hour today.

The big beneficiary is First Capital Connect, which will help itself to 256 new carriages, while One, responsible for trains running out of Liverpool Street, will be taking 188.

Says Kelly:

The extra capacity will be secured through additional new carriages and through re-deployment of existing carriages which will mean longer vehicles can run on busy routes and at peak times

Sounds grand. The catch? They won't be ready until 2014. So that's only another six years of doing the involuntary bump 'n grind with your fellow tin-can dwellers on the 8.13 to Cannon Street.

Pic of a (hopefully) soon-to-be familiar sight from jovike's Flickrstream

Last Updated 01 February 2008