Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg has been taken to task by a German railway company after tweeting a photo of herself sitting on the floor of a train surrounded by bags.

The 16-year-old drew sympathy after posting that she was travelling on "overcrowded trains" on her way home from the UN climate change conference in Madrid.

Thunberg does not fly on planes because of the environmental impact.

Responding, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said it was pleased to have her on board their eco-friendly train and welcomed her support "in the fight against climate change".

But the company added: "It would have been even nicer if you had also reported how friendly and competently you were looked after by our team at your seat in first class."

Deutsche Bahn has faced criticism in recent years for delays, last-minute train cancellations and expensive ticket fares.

In the picture on Twitter, Thunberg is sitting on the floor at the end of a carriage with her back leaning against a suitcase, staring out of a window.

There is an empty food box next to her and suitcases and backpacks piled up.

In the message, she wrote: "Travelling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I'm finally on my way home!"

She later tweeted: "Our train from Basel was taken out of traffic. So we sat on the floor on 2 different trains. After Göttingen I got a seat.

"This is no problem of course and I never said it was. Overcrowded trains is a great sign because it means the demand for train travel is high!"

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/greta-thunberg-tackled-over-overcrowded-train-tweet-deutsche-171600680.html