Thameslink

Start of the full 24 trains per hour service through the central London ‘core’ for Thameslink has been revised to December 2019.

GOVIA Thameslink Railway will introduce the full 24 trains per hour through the central London ‘core’ between St Pancras International and Blackfriars, as part of the £6 billion Thameslink programme, in December 2019, and not December 2018 as planned.

The decision has been taken following an independent review. It is designed to reduce the risk of delays being introduced into the national network on May 20 2018, when the largest ever national timetable change takes place.

GTR and Network Rail were both ready for the December 2018 launch, but a series of meetings involving stakeholders has led to the decision to mitigate potential risk created by the introduction of new trains on new routes with new drivers and new frequencies.

However, GTR will start running some trains on routes earlier than planned.

Speaking exclusively to RAIL on November 15, Chris Gibb, chairman of the Thameslink Programme Industry Readiness Board, said that as soon as drivers were trained, GTR services would be progressively diverted via London Bridge from January instead of May, and via the Canal Tunnels from April.

He said the former diversion would offer savings of eight minutes on Thameslink trains, enable drivers based north of the river Thames to learn the route, and create extra capacity for Southern’s Metro services.

“By phasing the introduction of the new timetable in this way, we have front-loaded the benefits for passengers and then spread further changes in such a way that they can be more reliably introduced,” he added.

GTR Chief Executive Charles Horton said 70% of the overall capacity benefits will be delivered in May.

Gibb described the May timetable changes as the ‘big bang’ for the project. That is when an additional 35,000-40,000 passengers will be able to travel into the core during a three-hour peak period.

From May, new direct Thameslink trains through London will run between Cambridge and Brighton, Horsham and Peterborough, Luton and the Kent Medway towns, Littlehampton and Bedford, and East Grinstead and Bedford. Trains from Cambridge to Maidstone East will terminate at London King’s Cross, while Southeastern will continue running between Maidstone East and Blackfriars.

In December 2018, the number of trains per hour in the core rises to 20, with an extra 1tph between Cambridge and Brighton and an additional 1tph between Littlehampton and Bedford.

Gibb said the introduction of Automatic Train Operation (ATO) takes place next year, although there is no fixed date. He told RAIL it was not needed until May 2019, when 22tph are planned for the Core, with Welwyn Garden CityKing’s Cross train sand Black friarsSevenoaks trains running as joined-up Welwyn Garden CitySevenoaks services.

Finally, in December 2019, it rises to 24tph when two CambridgeLondon King’s Cross trains per hour are extended to Maidstone East.

GTR was ready for the December 2018 timetable, and had set its plans in place for the depot at Blackfriars to close, with drivers based at the end of routes. Gibb said this would offer better utilisation, and that driver changes would not be possible with the increased train frequency through the core.

Likewise, the infrastructure is ready for December 2018. Gibb said that the 24tph is not a benefit that most passengers would see, only those travelling through the core. He explained that 30tph could run through the core, but that infrastructure either side of it would not support this. ■ European Train Control System (ETCS) has been approved for use in the Thameslink ‘core’ for empty stock moves.

This is the next stage towards the operation of up to 24tph through the section between St Pancras International and London Blackfriars. Driver training with ATO can now take place, and trains carrying passengers can pass those undergoing ATO training.

Network Rail said that it will not be available for passenger use until the formal process involving Office of Rail and Road approval has been granted. This will involve more tests.