CUTS to rail services due to the recession must not jeopardise efforts to reduce train overcrowding in the future, a new report says.

A London Assembly transport committee report identified the 20 busiest routes into London and identified the worst 'pinch point' stations along the routes where commuters are often unable to board trains as they are already overcrowded.

They are: Forest Hill, Bromley South, Sydenham, Brockley and Blackheath.

The report warned that although the recent rise in passenger numbers is slowing down it will be temporary, and substantial growth is still expected in the long-term.

The committee’s chairwoman Val Shawcross said: “Any short-term cuts to allow for the current economic slowdown must not compromise long-term measures to reduce overcrowding that will be needed more than ever as London recovers.”

Figures reveal that, on average, trains in London and the south east are carrying around 3.5 per cent more passengers than they should be, but on the most overcrowded trains this figure is around 40 per cent.