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More than a hundred Rail services a day across the UK are to be cut in an attempt to ease congestion on the Network.

Some services will run less frequently - and some will be scrapped altogether, in a move which is apparently designed to make the trains run on time on some of Britain's most overcrowded routes.

Breakfast spoke to the man behind the cuts, Richard Bowker, who's the chairman of Strategic Rail Authority. His message: things will have to get worse before they get better

Richard Bowker live on Breakfast
Bowker: things will get better
"There will be some passengers who are disappointed but many more will receive better services as a consequence," he told us.

Out of 17,000 rail services, just over 100 cross-country services are being cut, to try to cut congestion on the rail network.

"This is about making the services we have perform better"

click here to watch Breakfast's interview in full with Richard Bowker

To read what everyone's saying about rail cuts, click here to go straight to our Your Comments page

Details from BBC News Online

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) says the move is aimed at easing congestion.

Passengers are being promised that punctuality will improve, but the Rail Passengers Council says that many will be very disappointed.

Ageing track

BBC transport correspondent Tom Symonds says that some lines like the Great Western have been victims of their own success.

Passengers are saying reliability is absolutely key and that's what this is all about

Richard Bowker - Strategic Rail Authority
Across the country there are now 20% more trains than there were at privatisation and like the roads, Britain's ageing track network has become congested.

A single breakdown can bring a whole line to a standstill.

To remedy the problem the SRA will announce on Thursday that it is removing trains from some of the busiest lines.

'More reliable'

Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, told the BBC: "We've got a network which is over-full and it's not working properly and we've got to make it work correctly.

"Passengers are saying reliability is absolutely key and that's what this is all about - making it more reliable."

In all more than 100 trains a day will go.

There will be no more direct trains between Oxford and Bristol on the Great Western.

Passengers on the line between Derby and Birmingham will also be affected.

The route between Manchester Airport and Crewe will also be hit, as will services between Southampton and Bournemouth.

Fewer carriages

Privatisation had been intended to persuade rail companies to run extra services, providing greater alternatives to passengers.

I think we have to think a little bit more into the future and see now how we can rebuild this service

Anthony Smith - Rail Passengers Council
The announcement suggests that the network simply cannot cope with the extra traffic this has meant.

Passengers using Virgin's new cross-country trains have suffered more than most.

There are now more services, but because these have fewer carriages overcrowding has sometimes been a problem.

The SRA is to cut back here as well, with the spare carriages being used to give some passengers more space.

'Very disappointed'

Anthony Smith of the Rail Passengers Council said: "Passengers will be very disappointed in some parts of the country, where there will be a loss of service.

"I think we have to think a little bit more into the future and see now how we can rebuild this service."

Rail chiefs are promising this strategy will make the trains run on time.

But passengers will have to wait and see.

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