'Crime-ridden' train no worse than any other

However, on closer inspection, it may be no worse than travelling to any other town or city after a night out.

Under a Freedom of Information Act request, British Transport Police (BTP) revealed that from midnight on Fridays to 4am last year, 23 crimes were reported on Thameslink services.

These include 17 thefts, a sexual assault and two attacks.

Neighbouring routes, such as Kings Cross-to-Peterborough showed 18 and Paddington-to-Oxford just 7.

However, during those time there were six timetabled services to Bedford, two to Peterborough and one to Oxford.

A Thameslink spokesman said: “The statistic has to be seen in the context of the 52,000 passengers we carried between Blackfriars and Bedford in the early hours of Friday night/Saturday morning in that same period.”

He added the safety of passengers and staff is a priority to the firm and crime rates on Thameslink have fallen by 7 per cent in the past year. “We contribute a significant sum to British Transport Police who patrol our stations and trains and have just introduced a new team of our own Rail Enforcement Officers.”

A BTP spokesman said while crime is falling on the British rail network, safety remains a high priority, and it is increasing its policing presence on Thameslink.