When it comes to crowded peak hour trains, South Coast commuters are actually pretty lucky.
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Trains on the South Coast line – even when they enter the Sydney network - are actually among the least crowded on the network, according to passenger data from Transport for NSW (TfNSW).
Of the 14 lines, only three are less crowded than the South Coast.
TfNSW measures passenger loads every March and September.
The September 2015 figures show the most crowded line is the Inner West.
When trains on that line pull in at Redfern in the morning, they have an average load of 141 per cent.
In real terms, 135 per cent means 15-16 people in each vestibule as well as a number of passengers standing in the aisles on both levels.
When South Coast trains enter the Sydney network and arrive at Hurstville the average load is 118 per cent.
In terms of maximum loads, the South Coast also fares well – relatively speaking.
The maximum load of 126 per cent is around 20-30 per cent lower than most Sydney lines and 41 per cent below the 167 per cent recorded on the T1 Northern line.
A TfNSW spokeswoman said they were aware that loads were increasing across the network.
This is similar to many other public transport systems around the world, including London, Paris and New York,” she said.
“Parts of the train network are reaching capacity, and with an extra one million people expected to move into Sydney within the next decade, our current infrastructure simply won’t cope.”
She said the government was addressing this through a range of major rail infrastructure projects.