Want a seat on the train? Move to the coast, rail chief tells commuters

Londoners who want a seat on their train to work have been told to move to the seaside by the head of Britain's busiest rail company.

Keith Ludeman, chief executive of Go-Ahead which includes train operators Southern, South-Eastern and London Midland, said commuters should be prepared to stand if they live close to the city.

Mr Ludeman said today: "It's not unreasonable to expect someone to stand ... this is a mass, metro transit system.

"If you're coming up from the coast you might expect to get a seat, but your chances are reduced closer to London." Mr Ludeman, who last year called for rail companies to be allowed to run shorter trains in the recession despite growing overcrowding, was criticised for his remarks, made in an interview with the Financial Times.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the lobby group Passenger Focus, said: "Our concern about Mr Ludeman's approach is that if the train is grossly overcrowded — as so many are — then you can't stand up in comfort; and that really irritates. If you have a lot of people getting on and off the trains at the same time, it also starts to eat into punctuality."

The Department for Transport has said that no one who travels more than 20 minutes should have to stand.