Massive spider claims six seats for itself on busy Melbourne train

A sizeable spider travelled in style on a busy Melbourne train on Friday morning, claiming enough space to stretch out across six seats. 

The spider successfully annexed a set of four seats on the crowded peak-hour service, as well as two seats in the row behind that it might have been eyeing off for the extra legroom. 

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Nervous commuters decided it was better to stand in the aisle rather than risk the wrath of the spider. 

One commuter, who wished to remain anonymous, bravely took a photo of the scene and sent it to The Age.

The spider is understood to be on the seat by the window in the above photo and therefore cannot be seen, but the photographer did not want to venture any closer. 

A Metro Trains spokesperson said spider sightings on Melbourne trains were a rare occurrence. 

However, they conceded they are called in to assist arachnophobic passengers more often than they used to be because people do not tend to have a newspaper handy during the morning commute these days. 

"Not many people are going to use a tablet or smartphone to shoo away a spider," the spokesperson said. 

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The exact size and species of the spider has not been established. The photographer said the spider had crawled onto the floor by the time he took the shot and he did not want to take a photo under the seats. 

It is not yet known if the spider has disembarked from the train.

Premier Daniel Andrews has criticised the spider as being "that one passenger who puts their feet on the seat".

More to come (provided the story has legs)