A train company that has come under fire after the introduction of a new timetable has apologised for ‘falling short’ of their usual standards.

Chiltern Railways has been criticised by a number of commuters since they brought in a new timetable to coincide with the opening of the £130million line between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone on October 26.

Beaconsfield resident and commuter Jeremy Holmes has told of his anger at the changes, which he says have resulted in the trains being ‘much, much more crowded.’

He said: “They have us over a barrel, as we have to use this line to get in and out of work, and we have already shelled out considerable sums of money for a season ticket. Plus they will soon be putting prices up in January. To be honest I am at loss why it is worth it - who decided that this new line to Oxford Parkway, not even all the way to Oxford Centre, was needed or desired?

“It adds an extra level of stress onto the start and close of the working day if you are going to have to get there early and stand crammed up against other equally anxious passengers all keen to get a seat.”

Another disgruntled commuter, who did not want to be named, conducted a ‘flash survey’ of rail users over 48 hours and received 55 responses.

The survey, which has been sent to MP Dominic Grieve, found that 92 per cent of those who used the service were ‘extremely dissatisfied’ with the changes made by Chiltern Railways on the route from Buckinghamshire stations into London at peak times, while 83 per cent said that they had to stand more frequently since the timetable changes and 83 per cent said they never get a seat at either Gerrards Cross or Beaconsfield.

83 per cent of participants also said they were unhappy with the increased interval between trains since the timetable change, while 96% said that the Chiltern Railways service from Buckinghamshire stations to London in peak times is worse now than it was before the recent timetable change.

A spokesman for Chiltern Railways refused to comment on the results of the survey, but said the introduction of a timetable requires time for customers and colleagues at Network Rail to become ‘familiar’ with the changes.

She said: “This is currently exacerbated by the leaf fall period, which is our most challenging time of the year when falling leaves create a slippery, teflon-like coating on the rails.

“Reduced punctuality then causes more people to build up on the platform for a train which has caused crowding in the morning on some trains.

“However, we do recognise that the timetable can be improved and will be making some changes from December 13. We will be communicating these changes to passengers this week. 

“Everyone at Chiltern Railways is committed to delivering a high quality train service. We have fallen short of our usual high standards over the last couple of weeks and for that we apologise.”