A RUSH hour train service from Neilston to Glasgow Central has been named Scotland's second most overcrowded rail journey.

The 8.07am train, has run at 123% capacity at its busiest, carrying 64 extra passengers.

The 6.17pm from Glasgow Central or Edinburgh came out seventh, with the 7.56am Barrhead to Glasgow Central at number eight at 109%.

Scotland’s most overcrowded service was the 4.34pm from Edinburgh to Perth which has run at 136% of planned capacity.

The two-carriage train has carried 234 passengers at peak periods despite its official capacity being 172 seated and standing.

In third place is the 7.55am North Berwick to Haymarket service which runs at 119% of capacity.

The statistics are based on a mix of snapshots and automated passenger counts and exclude trains where the level of overcrowding is for under 10 minutes.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats highlighted the latest Transport Scotland figures from May and called for more investment to improve rail services.

A ScotRail spokesman said: “The work we are doing to introduce brand new and upgraded trains will significantly boost the number of seats available to our customers across the country.”