GTR consults on 2018 timetable changes
Govia Thameslink Railway is consulting passengers on a major recast of its timetables from 2018, when the Thameslink programme is due to be completed.
The number of services through central London will increase, leading to (it is claimed) 80% more peaktime seats, while new direct services will operate between Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Cambridge. New Thameslink routes through London Bridge from the Medway towns are also planned, along with new trains and more frequent metro services for Great Northern.
Services currently operated by Southern from Littlehampton, Horsham and East Grinstead to London Bridge will transfer to Thameslink in 2018, continuing through central London to Bedford and Peterborough. New direct trains will run from Cambridge and Peterborough to Gatwick Airport and beyond, with additional direct services to Maidstone from Cambridge. The number of Peterborough semi-fast trains will double, as will Cambridge semifast and stopping off-peak services.
On the Hertford Loop, a doubling of off-peak frequency has been proposed, from three trains
per hour to six, running all day Monday to Saturdays, while a new all-day service will run between Epsom, Sutton, West Croydon and London Bridge.
The documents are available online, and GTR is holding a series of events across its network to obtain passenger views.
Phil Hutchinson, GTR’s timetable development and consultation leader, said: “We are proposing a complete redesign of the timetable by looking at which journeys are most important to passengers. We are creating more capacity and new cross-London routes with connections to Crossrail and more punctual and reliable services. Operationally, each route would be selfcontained, so if a problem occurs it won’t affect other routes.
“We want passengers and stakeholders to help us shape their future train service. We believe we are consulting them earlier than any train operator has done before, and it’s a genuine opportunity for passengers and stakeholders to get involved in an open and honest conversation about what the train service should be like in the future.”