Subway riders get squeezed — literally — as trains are the most crowded they’ve been in decades, and fares continue to rise

The plataforms are crowded and trains are bursting at the seams — with the worst morning squeeze at 86th St. on the Lexington Ave. line.

Downtown trains along the East Side route are packed to 104% of their capacity at 86th St., records show. Heading uptown, the 4 and 5 trains are packed at 103% of their recommended capacity at 14th St.

MTA officials say they’re running the maximum number of trains they can safely operate per hour. Officials attribute the overcrowding to an improving economy with lower unemployment and a growing population.

It’s not going to get better anytime soon, and that’s no surprise to Ehab Aezah, a daily rider on the city’s busiest line.

“I have to deal with it every day,” said the 19-year-old senior at Mary Hill Academy. “I get to school late because of it. Since school starts early … it’s bad for your grades.”

Long-term projects to ease crowding on the Lexington Ave. line include the completion of the first section of the Second Ave. subway line, which is scheduled for completion in 2016. It’s expected to immediately attract some 200,000 riders.

In the short term, transit officials are considering putting more staff on platforms to encourage riders not to cluster in the middle and to refrain from holding doors. Another possibility being explored is having some trains on overcrowded lines serve as shuttles between busy hubs and not travel the entire routes.

“The trains are more crowded than ever, and starting to break down,” said John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance.

There were a dozen times in September and October when the trains, with 6.1 million people, were the most crowded in decades — since at least 1985, and perhaps since the 1940s, officials said.

In addition to the Lexington Ave. service, several other lines are maxed out in terms of the trains per hour during peak morning service — the 2, 3, 6, 7, and the E, F, N, Q and R.

Transit officials have acknowledged that overcrowding is the cause of 30% of the delays systemwide. And New Yorkers are getting touchy.

Construction worker John Jaime, 34, of Brooklyn, was riding the train to his night classes at Baruch College on Tuesday. He noted the increase in riders meant a decrease in manners.

“People don’t let anyone get on, foolishness like that,” said Jaime. “It’s ridiculous. I would definitely say the trains are overcrowded.”

And if straphangers weren’t squeezed enough already, they were greeted this week with a 25-cent bump to the base fare, bringing it to $2.75.