A TRAFFIC lights system will help rail travellers avoid crowded trains as more commuters return to work as the Covid crisis eases.

c2c is helping commuters to find the quietest train as passengers return to using public transport.

The company says more people are now commuting than at any other point in the pandemic.

The traffic lights system, available online or on the c2c app, has five different colours.

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Green trains have lots of seats available, which covers the majority of services in the morning and evening peak.

The yellow indicator shows the trains with some seats available.

Amber dictates a train with limited seats available, red shows a busy train, and black urges passengers to avoid the train altogether.

Delivery director for c2c, Laura McEwen, said: “We now have more people commuting than at any other point since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With more people returning to the office for the first time, our online tool shows them which trains are the most popular and which services are quiet, so they have this information before they travel.

“There is a lot of spare capacity on most c2c services during the rush hour, but a few trains are particularly busy. By checking ahead and being flexible, people can enjoy a much more comfortable journey simply by adjusting their journey time by as little as five minutes.”

The traffic light system is based on the busiest point during the station’s journey, which is normally as it approaches West Ham in the morning peak, and on departure from West Ham in the evenings.

A spokesman for c2c, which runs services between Shoebury and London Fenchurch Street, added: “If you have flexibility around your journey times, we have produced this guide to show how busy our train service is in the morning peak into London, and out of London in the evening peak.

“Simply select your station and your travel time. You’ll often find that if you’re able to switch one service earlier or later, you may have a more comfortable journey. This information is downloaded from our onboard technology.

“Each description is based on the busiest part of the journey, which normally only lasts a few minutes. It also shows the average figure for the whole train, but individual carriages will vary.”