BOSSES have admitted introducing more stops at London stations for c2c trains has led to overcrowding and growing passenger numbers.

A representative from c2c wrote a 1,400-word letter to one disgruntled passenger who had complained of overcrowding, slower trains and longer journeys since the company introduced a new timetable in December.

It was revealed last week that introducing more stops at east London stations, such as West Ham, Limehouse and Barking, was c2c’s own idea, before the Department for Transport made it a contractual obligation.

In the letter to an unnamed passenger, the train operator admitted increased passenger numbers, leading to overcrowding, was down to 95 per cent of services now stopping at the London stations.

The letter read: “The introduction of a majority of our trains stopping at the key London interchange stations has attracted up to 5,000 additional passengers travelling with us from Fenchurch Street in the evenings.

“The increased frequency of services has, on the one hand, given our longer-distance commuters greater choice, but also provided options for customers wanting to quickly get from stations, such as West Ham to Barking.

“This demand has led to overcrowding and we are aware of the feedback on social media.”

When contacted by the Gazette,ac2c spokesman insisted the thousands of extra passengers were also down to increasing demand from commuters in Southend and Thurrock.

The spokesman said: “We are carrying more passengers than expected due to strong growth across the c2c route.

“This includes a lot of extra passengers from Thurrock and Southend, and not just those travelling within London.

“This is why we are working hard on bringing in additional carriages.”

The company said it had seen a 19 per cent increase in customers using trains from London Fenchurch Street in the evening peak since the new timetable came in.

The overcrowding has led to c2c engaging in talks to lease extra carriages from an another operator, which it hopes will be in place by late spring.

THE organiser of a protest against c2c’s new timetable said he had been left frustrated by contradictory statements from the train company’s bosses.

James Savill, 37, from Stanford-le-Hope, pictured, organised the well-attended protest in January, during which Sir David Amess, MP for Southend West, spoke out in support of passengers.

Mr Savill, who runs a Twitter account designed to put pressure on the company, said the issues were still as bad as when the new timetable was first introduced.

He receives up to 500 tweets a day complaining about the service. He said: “Since day one of the timetable there have been so many contradicting statements.

“These comments about where the extra passengers are coming from is just another example.

“No one knows what to believe any more.