First Capital Connect has confirmed that ASLEF has accepted a revised pay offer for drivers, but the emergency timetable providing little more than half the normal service is continuing on the Thameslink route for the time being.

Drivers have been declining overtime and rest day working for more than a month, and the emergency timetable has been operated since 12 November. They had been angry at a pay offer which had included no increase from April 2009. FCC has now offered 1.5 per cent from April 2009, and the total increase over two years, which is tied to productivity agreements, will be about 5 per cent.

A drivers' referendum is now being held with the hope of confirming their acceptance of the new offer, but FCC's hopes of restoring the normal timetable from today appear to have been dashed. The company told its customers that: ‘We are working jointly with ASLEF to encourage our drivers to resume rest day and overtime working, our aim being to provide a full, normal service to our customers as quickly as possible'.

The managing director of FCC, Jim Morgan, was replaced early in the dispute by the head of FirstGroup's rail division, Mary Grant. FCC has since apologised for not assuming the 'worst case scenario' when rostering difficulties began to multiply in early November.