From the Bristol Evening Post
Passengers who use a busy commuter train from Yate have welcomed the promise of an extra carriage in the morning rush hour to reduce overcrowding.
Train operators said they would be able to put a third carriage onto what is currently the 8.16am service from the town to Bristol from December.
But, although pleased with the move, regular users said they were disappointed the additional space would not be available on their return journey, nor on other equally busy trains.
A long campaign to improve the service for those catching trains in Yate has involved passengers, councillors and Northavon MP Steve Webb complaining to operator First Great Western and Government ministers.
Criticism centres on too little space on the busiest trains taking people to and from work and college, with many passengers having to stand, sit on the floor or even squash themselves into the luggage area.
Users have sometimes also been left on the platform because trains are so full, while on occasions trains have just not turned up.
On yesterday's 8.16am to Bristol Parkway, Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Temple Meads, it was standing room only for passengers in the two carriages û many of them students going to Filton College.
Those who had boarded the train in Gloucester and at the Cam and Dursley station said there were plenty of seats when they got on but the problem developed once it arrived in Yate because so many people wanted to use the service.
A long queue for tickets at the station also meant some passengers had to get on the train without one and try and pay the conductor, if he could get past people standing in the aisles.
A common complaint is made about the difficulty in buying tickets on the train and passengers travelling without paying.
Yate commuter Kerr Brown, 45, said if First Great Western didn't have so many passengers travelling for free, it would have more money to improve the service.
He said: "If the train is so overcrowded that you can't get on, there can be an hour's wait for the next one.
"Sometimes taxis will be put on for those left behind but on other occasions that doesn't happen."
Civil servant Justine Nicklin, 42, also of Yate, said: "Sometimes it does seem like we're travelling in a cattle truck."
When the extra carriage is added, the service will also be brought forward to 8.09am. Some passengers who don't live near the station said that could cause problems if they relied on buses to get to the station and the bus times remained unchanged.
Yate town councillor Wully Perks, who is vice-chairman of the Friends of Yate Station and a retired railwayman, said: "An extra carriage is great but it's only one small improvement on one service.
"Recently the train that arrives at about 7.40am turned up with just one carriage and 40 to 50 passengers were left behind. It was ridiculous. Regular users don't deserve to be told they can't get on and are left on the platform."