RAIL passengers travelling between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington faced some of the worst overcrowding in the country last year, a new report has revealed.

Figures from the Department of Transport show the 7.34am service from Didcot was the second-most congested in the first half of 2015, with trains often running with double their passenger capacity in standard class.

But the service, which is operated by Great Western Railway, does not feature in the report's list of shame of the 10 most congested for the autumn period.

GWR spokesman James Davis said since the start of last year, the operator had added extra carriages to the service which had doubled the capacity from about 240 to about 500.

He added: "We are pleased that the work we have done over the past few years to increase capacity means we no longer feature in the latest overcrowding figures.

"However, this is only a short term solution, and we know demand for rail travel is likely to rise further in the coming years."

The new figures also come after the opening of Oxford Parkway station last September, which has given passengers living in Oxford an alternative route into London.

When asked about impact of the new station, Mr Davis said there had still been an increase in passengers travelling through Oxford railway station towards Didcot.

Nationally the most overcrowded peak train last year was between Brighton and Bedford, which often ran as much as 229 per cent capacity in standard class.

Oxfordshire rail passengers face further problems in the next few weeks due to routes being closed for improvements.

The line between Oxford and Didcot Parkway is closed from today until August 15; the route between Oxford and Banbury is closed until next Sunday, August 7; and the Oxford-Hanborough stretch of the Cotswold line will shut for five days from Wednesday.

Chiltern Railway services will also be affected with the closure of the line from Oxford to Bicester North, Banbury and Leamington Spa, between today and August 3. Trains between Oxford Parkway and London will not be affected.

Replacements bus services will be available to passengers on affected routes.