Commuters in south London are squeezing onto some of the most overcrowded trains in the country, new figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) reveal.

The dismal statistics show packed services in England and Wales are running at a crushing 229 per cent capacity - with many passing through some of south London's busiest stations.

Rail minister Paul Maynard said the new figures demonstrated the "unprecedented scale of passenger demand" on the country's railway's - words that may provide little comfort for those unable to get to work in the morning without gaining an intimate knowledge of a fellow traveller's armpit.

For example, those with a claustrophobic bent would be well-advised to avoid travelling on the 6.57am Thameslink service from Brighton to Bedford, which stops at East Croydon on its way into central London.

Last autumn 960 passengers typically squeezed onto the eight-carriage train at the service's busiest point at London Blackfriars - a staggering 540 passengers (129 per cent) over capacity.

RELATED: Is your train among the most overcrowded in the country? Croydon service makes the list

While that sardine can on wheels was the most overcrowded in the country, crushed commuters were not breathing much easier on the 8.20am Thameslink service from Beckenham Junction, which passes through Kent House and Penge East.

At the service's busiest point at Elephant and Castle, carriages designed to carry 732 passengers were heaving under the weight of 1,250 (71 per cent over capacity).

By the time the 7.32am South West Trains service from Woking trundled into Waterloo on an average weekday, 1,223 squashed souls were squeezed onto the packed train - 485 over capacity.

More than 580,000 passengers arrived in London by train at peak time on a typical morning last autumn, an increase of 3.2 per cent over the previous year, the DfT report found.

Of passengers arriving at London stations between 8am and 9am, 30 per cent were forced to stand - an increase from 26 per cent in 2011.

This compares with 20 per cent of passengers arriving at Birmingham, 16 percent at Leeds and Manchester, and 12 per cent at Cardiff.

The report said: "The worsening crowding levels show that capacity provision is not coping with rising levels of passenger demand, which has been the case in London and a number of other cities."

Overcrowding figures for the spring 2015 timetable were also included in the report.

They revealed that a typical 7am service from Brighton to Bedford, passing through East Croydon, managed to cram in 933 passengers by the time it reached Blackfriars at 8.20am, meaning it was over capacity by 122 per cent.

The 7.32am South West Trains service from Woking to Waterloo was 168 per cent over capacity by the time it reached its final destination, while the 8.08am Thameslink train from Sutton to St Alban's City was overburdened by 489 passengers by the time it got to Elephant and Castle.

MORE TRAIN MISERY: RMT rail union announces fresh train strikes in dispute with Southern

Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said: "It's long been our contention that privatisation has failed to deliver for rail passengers in Britain.

“We're disappointed - but not surprised - by these figures. Disappointed for those passengers - especially those who are pregnant, or disabled - who have to suffer like this, and for those tourists who come to this country expecting a first-class public transport system in a first world economy.

"Sadly, the privatised train companies are failing to deliver and this Government is letting them get away with it.

"If you're standing on your train today, then you'll be standing on your train in 10 years' time because the Government doesn't care enough to do anything about it and the companies only care about making money, not delivering a service."

Do you travel on one of the most overcrowded trains in the country? Get in touch at daniel.omahony@newsquest.co.uk, or leave a comment below