Ruth Kelly
MAJOR steps have been taken towards starting infrastructure construction and ordering new trains for the £5.5 billion expansion of the Thameslink north-south route across Central London.
The Thameslink programme will increase track and platform capacity to allow operation of longer trains and higher frequency – up to 24 trains an hour on the busiest section.
The service will be expanded from the main Bedford to Brighton core route to take in new destinations from King’s Lynn in the east to towns along the south coast.
Network Rail has announced its preferred contractors for the three biggest building projects on the line, while the Department for Transport has invited train builders to express their interest in supplying more than 1,000 new carriages for the services.
The first phase of the scheme is planned to be ready in 2012, with full completion – including all of the new trains and platform extensions at many stations – in late 2015.
A £1.4 billion investment in 1,100 vehicles will give a completely new fleet, replacing the 720 vehicles used by existing operators and increasing the overall number by 380.
Announcing the new fleet, transport secretary Ruth Kelly said manufacturers have been invited to “express interest” in building the dual-supply electric units. The contract is expected to be awarded in summer 2009, with the first train available for testing in autumn 2011 and in passenger service the following spring.
Initially, extra carriages will allow 12-car (rather than eight-car) trains on First Capital Connect’s existing Thameslink services in spring 2012. Full services with the new fleet will run from December 2015, giving a train on the core Central London section between St Pancras International and Blackfriars about every two-and-a-half minutes.
Currently First Capital Connect operates north of the river (on the original Thameslink line from Bedford, as well as the former Great Northern services from Peterborough and King’s Lynn), with services extending as far as the south coast.
A new Thameslink franchise will also incorporate some services from the Southern and Southeastern franchises in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.
Thameslink services are among the most crowded in the UK but trains are limited to a maximum eight-car length and the route has numerous junctions, particularly immediately south of the river, which severely restrict the level of service.
A completely new fleet is necessary because all trains need to use two electric supply systems – overhead wire and conductor rail – and because the intensity of the planned service will require acceleration and braking performance capabilities which are more demanding than those of any existing stock.
DfT says it is looking for lighter weight vehicles offering reduced energy consumption and operational costs as well as lower maintenance costs for both trains and track.
To house the fleet, DfT is considering requirements for depots. It is also planning a cascade programme of existing trains to other operators.
Reader Comments:
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If the Bedford to Northampton Line was reopened this would allow the Thameslink services to be extended through to the WCML thus creating a huge number of new journey opportunities that are currently not available. It would also relieve some of the pressure on the Euston route and provide a real alternative to the M1 corridor; with direct connections to Eurostar; CrossRail and the complete south of england rail network without having to use the Underground.
Geoffrey Steel, Northampton, United Kingdom