First class carriages for Govia Thameslink’s Great Northern peak-time services have been declassified from today with hopes that – in the midst of continued cancellations and delays – it will help limit overcrowding.

Hitchin and Harpenden MP Bim Afolami will next week introduce a Bill in the Commons to compensate passengers affected by the chaos engulfing the Govia Thameslink Railway network.

“Dangerous” – that was the word used in a conversation between two members of Great Northern rail staff amid overcrowding at Hitchin this morning, commuters have said.

Hitchin has the sixth-worst rail service in the country – that’s according to new data ranking the performance of the UK’s stations in the past month.

Even Great Northern’s drivers have had enough of the controversial new timetable – that’s if one railwayman’s apology to commuters this morning is anything to go by.

The leader of Herts County Council has demanded answers from the Department for Transport, Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway about the rail chaos which has followed the recent timetable change.

A damning motion condemning the ongoing problems with Govia rail services has received all-party support at County Hall.