In this paper, we report the findings from a two year study spanning five Australian capital cities involving qualitative and quantitative research with rail passengers. The aim of the first qualitative phase was to gain an in-depth understanding of the passenger experiences of crowding sui generis. At the same time, we used this understanding to inform the design of a comprehensive national online survey including a stated preference choice experiment. This added breadth and statistical significance to the overall research design. Given limitations of space, this paper focuses mostly on crowding on carriages, and presents findings around the following four fundamental research questions: 1) to what extent are Australian rail passengers concerned by crowding?, 2) What conditions exacerbate feelings of being crowded, 3) what conditions mitigate feelings of being crowded, and 4) how can we usefully understand passengers‟ crowding experience?2 We conclude with some observations on the significance and implications of these findings for customer service provision.