Sparks fly as DfT suggests more passengers stand and First Class seats are removed

The Department for Transport has suggested "metro-style" carriageways on the South Eastern routes in Kent and south London with "a better balance of seating and room for standing passengers".

In a consultation launched on the franchise from 2018, the DfT also suggests that First Class seating, while "popular on some services," is removed to create more room. A further proposal is longer trains, up to 12 carriages compared to eight or ten now.

The proposal that more passengers should stand receives criticism from the influential Daily Mail, which quotes the Labour chair of the Commons transport committee that people who have "paid so much for a season ticket are likely to feel very upset that they will have to stand in cramped conditions".