FAQs

Title

 What work is being carried out that necessitates these closures?

Answer

You might be wondering why the route across central London has to close every night and most weekends until 18 May 2012.

A large part of the work Network Rail is carrying out during these closures relates to station work at Farringdon, City Thameslink and Blackfriars.

But there’s a lot to be done to the track, signalling and power infrastructure in the tunnels and sub-surface section of the route in central London in readiness for the 12-carriage trains and future high-frequency services planned.

Power: The AC overhead line equipment has to be reconfigured and the power supply boosted for the increased service for 24 trains per hour and 12-carriage trains. For the southern third rail DC section and signalling systems, a new substation has been built at Ludgate Cellars, near Blackfriars – the largest of its type in the country. To power the AC overhead section to the north and the signalling systems, a new substation has been built at Elstree & Borehamwood.

Signalling: The system across central London – between Kentish Town and London Bridge/Loughborough Junction – changes entirely. Signals are being installed closer together, as they are on a metro system, instead of approximately every 1km, which will later in the programme allow trains to safely travel closer together, increasing capacity (see ‘New control system’ below).

New crossovers have already been built to give First Capital Connect the flexibility of running trains into either of the two Thameslink platforms at St Pancras International, regardless of their direction of travel.

And in December 2011, changes were made to allow First Capital Connect to operate the first 12-carriage trains.

By the time of the May timetable change in 2012, there will be bi-directional signalling from Kentish Town to Blackfriars and the terminating bay platforms at Blackfriars will be ready to be brought into use.

New control system: The work being carried out during the overnight and weekend closures of the Thameslink route in central London will lay the foundations for a European Train Control System (ETCS) to be overlaid on the existing signalling system.

ETCS will provide the platform for automatic train operation (ATO). The new trains will use ATO when London Bridge and its associated infrastructure work is completed in 2018, allowing the frequency across central London to be increased to up to 24 trains per hour in each direction.

Back to FAQs