An evening service from Sutton to Luton was the third-most overcrowded in England and Wales last spring, official figures have revealed this week.

The 17.11 Thameslink train had around 1,579 passengers fit into eight carriages which were designed to accommodate 803 – in excess of 776 commuters.

Data published by the Department for Transport (DfT) on July 24 showed more than half of all services listed – 11 out of 20 – comprised of Southern, South Western Railway, and Thameslink.

However, the Government warns that the figures were “collected before the new timetable was introduced” and, at the time, the previous service only had four carriages.

Now all Thameslink services operate at a minimum of at least eight.

Once the full timetable starts “there will be an additional train on this route operating in this part at its peak”.

A DfT spokesman said: “The ‘top 10’ lists are based on passenger counts carried out by the train operating companies. These counts are used by the Department for Transport to monitor train crowding levels.

“Recognising that there is a demand for this type of data, DfT periodically publishes these ‘top 10’ lists. This release includes lists for spring and autumn 2017.

“The spring data are collected prior to the May timetable change, and the autumn data are collected prior to the December timetable change.”

Meanwhile, 85 percent – or 17 from 20 – of the overcrowded services listed were in London while the other three were in Manchester.

Here is the top 10 list of most overcrowded peak train services in major cities across England and Wales during spring 2017:

1. 05.40 Uckfield to London Bridge (Southern)

2. 07.55 Cambridge to London Kings Cross (Great Northern)

3. 17.11 Sutton to Luton (Thameslink)

4. 16.00 Manchester Airport to Edinburgh (TransPennine Express)

5. 17.46 London Euston to Crewe (West Midlands Trains)

6. 07.16 East Grinstead to London Bridge (Southern)

7. 16.26 Bedford to Brighton (Thameslink)

8. 07.20 Woking to London Waterloo (South Western Railway)

9. 18.00 London St Pancras to Melton Mowbray (East Midlands Trains)

10. 06.19 Aylesbury Parkway Vale to London Marylebone (Chiltern)

To see the report, click here.