Crowds, chaos and fare-dodgers: A 6am commute on the Chase railway line

Residents have been complaining about the Chase railway line, which runs from Staffordshire, through the Black Country and into Birmingham, relentlessly in recent weeks as the annual problems on the line resurface.

The route, which serves all the Cannock Chase and Walsall stations, sees a surge in use around the winter period as Amazon, which has a fulfilment centre in Rugeley, recruits seasonal workers for Christmas.

Now Amanda Milling, the MP for Cannock Chase, has taken matters into her own hands and travelled on an early morning service – keeping a diary of everything she encountered.

Aiming to catch the 5.58am service from Rugeley Town, Ms Milling said the problems began when approaching the station as the road became practically blocked with so many Amazon workers heading to the station to catch the early morning train.

After she arrived, some five minutes before the train was due to depart, she said it was 'not possible to get near the platform'.

Describing the scene when the train arrived, Ms Milling said: "It only had two carriages. I seriously could not believe the experience of getting on the train. At first I tried to get on the first carriage but people were literally barging, pushing, physically tackling each other to get on the train.

"What I witnessed was a scene more similar to the bad old days of football riots.

"Whilst the crowd was trying to get into the first carriage, one door was shut to that carriage with people still trying to get in. How no one got trapped is amazing. This then led to passengers having to walk down the train to get onto another carriage.

"This whole situation was dangerous, and if something is not done about it there will be a serious accident or injury. I was actually fearful for my safety as I was trying to board the train.

"By the time I eventually did get the train there was not a seat in sight and there were people standing throughout, some with bikes, exacerbating the issue and blocking access to any areas where you could stand."

And the 'misery' did not end there as Ms Milling, a friend of foreign secretary Boris Johnson, said the journey 'only got worse' as the two-carriage train travelled along the line and more passengers got on.

The overcrowding led to further problems as the Conservative MP explained: "The service was running late due to the time it was taking people to board and disembark the train. The lack of sufficient carriages is not only causing serious overcrowding but also leading to delays in the service and subsequent services."

When Ms Milling raised the issue in Parliament, one of resident's biggest complaints was the amount of fare-dodgers on the line as tickets were never checked. This was again something she witnessed first-hand.

She said: "At no point did an inspector check any tickets. In fact, even on my return journey which was on a quiet train tickets were not inspected."

She noted at the end of her diary: "It was reported to me that recently one of the commuter trains was cancelled and as a result two trains worth of passengers had to pack into one service – which as I have seen for myself is totally overcrowded already."

At the end of the journey she identified five points which she would be raising with London Midland, the train franchise that run the Chase Line, which can be seen in the panel above.

Speaking after the journey she said: "I had to experience the service for myself to get a sense of the problems that many constituents have complained to me about. Whilst I have used the service regularly myself, this was the first time I had used the 5.58am train. I was completely shocked by what I saw.

"The train was only made up of two carriages and as a result was struggling to even provide standing room, let alone seats.

"Throughout the journey to and from Birmingham tickets weren't checked at all. The scenes at Rugeley Town station were best described as chaotic and unsafe with passengers barging and physically tackling each other to get onto the train. How no-one got hurt amazed me.

"The over-crowding issue also seems to be having an impact on the punctuality of the service too. With so many people on the trains it is taking a long time for passengers to get on and off, meaning delays to the service and subsequent services back to Cannock Chase.

"London Midland need to provide trains with more carriages on the peak services. I have seen and have travelled on many trains during the day on the Chase Line made up of more than two carriages, so I can't help but wonder why the busiest train is only made up of two coaches."

Cannock Councillor Graham Burnett, who travelled with Ms Milling on the 5.58am last Wednesday, also gave his view.

He said: "This train is a frequent commute for me and Amanda saw a typical example of that service. The train is often full before it even gets to Hednesford where I board.

This issue has only been worsened by the increase in staff at Amazon, due to the lack of carriages provided by London Midland. Something needs to be done by them."

Ms Milling met briefly with London Midland representatives on Friday and is due for a meeting with them today.

Francis Thomas, a spokesman for London Midland, said: "I saw Amanda on Friday morning. We are discussing her experiences she had on the line and will be feeding her comments in to our strategy for dealing with the growing demand for rail services on the chase line in the coming months."