Britain's rail network has long been the butt of bitter jokes about late trains and shoddy service. Yet travellers seem to be ignoring them. Passenger numbers have risen by 40% in the past decade and are forecast to rise by another 30% over the next ten years. This newfound popularity is causing problems on the busiest part of the network, where there are now too many passengers and not enough seats. Across the entire railway system, overcrowding in 2005 was only just below the government's limit of 3% more passengers than rated capacity. On the busiest commuter lines, the limit is regularly flouted.
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