Thameslink route timetable creates more seats

An extra 2,475 peak hour seats are being successfully delivered through the new First Capital Connect (FCC) Bedford to Brighton Thameslink route timetable, introduced as part of the Government’s £5.5 billion upgrade of the route.

Two months in, the timetable:

·         has created an extra 2,475 rush hour seats

·         has been beating targets, with 91.58% of trains arriving on time in April*

·         has created new cross-London routes between FCC stations north of London and Southeastern destinations in Kent and south east London

·         has also almost doubled the number of rush hour trains across London, from Blackfriars and City Thameslink

FCC bosses have been wary of celebrating the timetable’s success because they are operating the route with far fewer trains than originally planned.

There are fewer trains available because train manufacturer Bombardier has still delivered only a fraction of a new fleet of trains that FCC needed to make it work. So far only four of the 23 four-carriage Electrostar trains have been delivered.

Fellow train operators including Southern and Southeastern are continuing to help out by loaning extra carriages to FCC as a stop-gap.

But the lack of trains means it has been difficult for FCC to cope with service disruption. This created delays last week.

FCC Managing Director Jim Morgan said: “Two months in, the new Thameslink route timetable is delivering almost 2,500 extra rush hour seats, new destinations and almost double the number of rush hour trains across London.

“We have suffered some problems because Bombardier is late delivering us our new Electrostar trains and that is frustrating for us and our customers.

“However, on the whole the timetable has been a success, allowing Network Rail to press on with the Thameslink Programme, reducing overcrowding for passengers travelling to and through London.”

ends

For more information visit www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk or contact Roger Perkins, First Capital Connect Thameslink Programme Communications Manager at

roger.perkins@firstgroup.com or 020 7427 2086; 07711 149 245.

Editor’s notes

The new timetable came into effect on 22 March 2009 andallowed key work to begin on the £5.5 billion Government-funded Thameslink Programme that will reduce overcrowding on the popular Bedford to Brighton commuter route.

The Thameslink Programme will increase capacity for passengers travelling to and through London by providing more frequent, new 12 carriage trains and delivering new or improved stations at Farringdon, Blackfriars and London Bridge by December 2015.

* 91.58% is First Capital Connect’s public performance measure for the Thameslink route for the period 1 April to 2 May and is a measure of the number of trains arriving within five minutes of the scheduled arrival time.