I took the 7.35am Brighton-London train to see how travellers reacted to calls for a passengers' boycott. They painted a gloomy picture of their lot.

With rail top of the political agenda following strike action and Transport Secretary Stephen Byers under increasing pressure, 2002 has been dubbed the year of commuter rebellion.

Brighton is the home of the original commuters' revolt.

In the Seventies, the Brighton Line Commuters' Association was making a fuss on behalf of beleaguered passengers.

In 1977 the group hired a coach, offering 90p returns to the capital in defiance of British Rail's £5 return.

BR may be long gone but today's regular travellers are no happier.

They are, however, less militant. Most remain resigned to their fate.

While they are fed up with late or delayed trains, antiquated rolling stock, high prices and over-zealous ticket collectors, most admit they have no choice but to suffer the daily grind.

Calls by the Better Rail Advisory Group for a national one-day train boycott on March 1 to highlight passengers' anger left them distinctly unimpressed.

As did suggestions passengers who did travel on that day should withhold their tickets.

Commuter Keith Haynes, 46, of Hazelhurst Drive, Three Bridges, who was standing because all the seats were taken, said: "If you have a season ticket you're just hitting yourself in the pocket because you've already paid.

"I don't see what the benefit would be apart from a statement of solidarity. We're a captive market and they can squeeze us as hard as they like."

Mr Haynes, a travel agent working in the City, said: "You get conditioned to doing this every day. European Union rules give more protection and safety to cattle being transported than us."

Giles Hayes, 39, a computer expert with Reuters news agency, travels into the capital daily from Hove.

He said: "The return service from London is diabolical and always late. This is the worst route I have ever commuted on.

"A boycott would send a message to the rail companies people are really dissatisfied.

"But I don't know whether it would do any good. Most people couldn't take time off work."

Fellow commuter Brian Brigginshaw, 62, of Treetops Close, Woodingdean, agreed.

He said: "A boycott serves no function and, as far as I can see, passengers have to exert their influence by the normal democratic means.

"It wouldn't do me any good by not going to work."

Mr Brigginshaw, an electrical engineer, pays almost £3,000 for his season ticket, which includes travel on London Underground.

South Central took over the running of the route from Connex in August.

In November the company cut 89 of its 1,750 daily services to cope with a driver shortage and backlog of maintenance on rolling stock.

The company has promised improvements but yesterday passengers remained pessimistic about the future.

Claims many services run between five and ten minutes late are supported by figures showing 50 per cent of South Central trains were delayed in the month up to December 8.

Annual car parking charges add almost £1,200 to the cost of commuting from Brighton and some services, especially on the return trip, still use antiquated slam-door trains.

Passenger Suzi Farber, commuting from Brighton to Three Bridges, said her evening train was always cancelled.

Ms Farber, 25, of Brunswick Square, Hove, added: "The next train comes half an hour later and is always 20 minutes late."

Accountant Michael Head, 35, who got on at Three Bridges, said: "I only use this service about once a month. I couldn't cope otherwise."

However, not everyone frowned upon a passenger boycott or direct action.

David Peckham, 25, of Elm Grove, Brighton, said: "It's a great idea. It shows them people do care the service is poor and are prepared to show they're not happy.

"Train companies take it for granted you have to get to work. You're a captive market.

"Some of the older trains are disgraceful. I would be embarrassed to have people from abroad on them because they are so bad."

However, Mr Peckham, a research executive with polling company Mori, who pays £2,640 a year for his ticket, said: "I'm lucky because I can work from home sometimes so I could arrange a day off work."

Shelley Atlas, who chairs the Brighton Line Commuters group, gave a thumbs down to the boycott.

She said: "We wouldn't advocate a boycott because we would lose out financially and not showing tickets would only cause a lot of aggravation and upset. It's counter-productive."

Miss Atlas, who has run the group since it was relaunched in 1986 and represents some 170 members, said lobbying, rather than direct action, was the way to get things done.

She said: "I don't know what other way there is. It's like a hostage situation. We have got no choice."

Responding to commuters' complaints, South Central's managing director David Franks said in a statement: "I want to thank passengers for their patience and co-operation since South Central took over the franchise.

"I apologise for any inconvenience they may have experienced.

"The revised timetable was brought in due to a drivers shortage and maintenance backlog. We are now making good progress in tackling these issues."

Mr Franks said 24 new drivers were being trained and 27 new engineers would help keep South Central's fleet running.

He said: "This week, we have reinstated some train services in areas where passengers were feeling the impact of the revised timetable most acutely.

"This is the first step in implementing our recovery plan."

The 7.35am train, however, was five minutes late.