A Rail company was caught on the hop after hundreds of Oxfordshire commuters switched to trains to avoid traffic jams caused by the A34 roadworks.

Motorists are leaving their cars at home to avoid the chaos on the Oxford ring road - bringing extra passengers and a headache for train operators on lines from Bicester, Banbury and the Cotswolds.

Thames Trains were not expecting so many commuters from the north of the county.

Company spokesman Lou Tate said: "What we were doing was anticipating more people travelling from the Didcot and Appleton areas rather than in a southerly direction.

"We haven't put any extra services on, mainly because we haven't got the capacity and there are no spaces in the service to add additional trains."

He said extra carriages could not be added because platforms at some stations were too short.

He added: "We are aware of the problems, particularly when trains from the Cotswolds get to places like Hanborough.

"We're experiencing almost double the amount of people getting on."

Mr Tate said the trains were so crowded that ticket inspectors could not get up and down the trains to sell and check tickets. Some passengers were complaining that fellow travellers were getting on the train without paying.

The firm is hoping the traffic chaos will pay long-term dividends - as commuters decide to abandon their cars for good. Brian Hodgson, Oxfordshire County councillor for Charlbury, has tabled a motion urging Railtrack to ensure they can meet the extra demand for rail travel caused by the A34 closure. The motion goes on to stress the need for extra passenger capacity on the Cotswold line.

Councillors at a meeting of the public transport sub-committee were debating the motion yesterday.

Mr Hodgson said he was moved to table the motion after he travelled to Worcester by train last week.

He said: "People are finding it very difficult. The overcrowding is ridiculous. It's almost impossible to squeeze everybody in. It's standing room only, and worse."

The Highways Agency and the police yesterday rejected suggestions by council council engineer Richard Dix for a contraflow system on the A34 to help eradicate tailbacks.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Oxford Mail, Mr Dix proposed closing the southbound carriageway at the roadworks and re-opening the northbound route over the next few days.

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