Programme context
Thameslink operates on one of the busiest and most congested parts of the rail network. Passenger journeys in London and the south east have more than doubled in the last two decades, increasing from 547 million in 1995-96 to 1.1 billion in 2016-17, leading to a capacity crunch. With growth on such a scale, something had to be done to cope with the massive increase in passenger numbers.