The Department for Transport (DfT) has suggested that first class carriages on busy trains should be removed to ease overcrowding. This comes following a research by The Telegraph that found that many first class carriages remain half empty even during peak hours.
DfT is considering making services standard class for routes operated by Southeastern, following a new franchise agreement.
The Telegraph conducted the research in 2013, involving intercity trains arriving at Paddington, Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Kings Cross between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on three consecutive weekdays.
Trains usually have three first-class carriages and five in standard class. The study found that less than a fifth of the first-class carriages were full or nearly full and some carriages had only three or four people in carriages with 48 seats.
Passengers were standing in most standard class carriages which carry 80 people each.
December 2018 will see the enactment of the new franchise agreement, which will introduce high capacity metro-style carriages on the busiest lines. This is aimed at balancing seating and creating more room for standing passengers, space for wheelchairs and pushchairs on shorter journeys. It will also make boarding and alighting quicker.
DfT is also considering extending the number of carriages on stopping services from eight or 10 to 12 carriages and increasing the number of seats on high speed services.
Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, said: "Services on the South Eastern rail network have been unacceptably poor for far too long.
"Passengers have endured disruption, overcrowding and delays, particularly during redevelopment work at London Bridge station, and they deserve better.
"That is why this consultation is so important. Appointing a new franchise operator from 2018 provides us with a great opportunity to sort out the problems which have plagued the South Eastern network, and deliver the high quality of service that customers expect.
"We are going to do things differently. I want passengers to enjoy more space and comfort, more and better communication with the operator, and a consistently reliable performance."