Thameslink - BThameslink - B Thameslink History Passenger services operated across London through the Snow Hill Tunnel from mid-Victorian times until World War I, when services terminated at Moorgate from the Midland line to the north, and at Holborn Viaduct from the south, at a time when most inner cross-London traffic had been lost to buses and trams. There were low-level platforms under the main part of Holborn Viaduct station known as the Snow Hill platforms: these can still be seen when leaving City Thameslink station travelling northwards. On 14 June 1941, railway manager George Dow proposed in an article in the London evening newspaper The Star that new routes be built in tunnels from Marylebone south to Victoria, and from King's Cross south to Charing Cross. Both were to connect with a Paddington–Liverpool Street tunnel that he proposed, anticipating Crossrail by 40 years. He also proposed a north-east to south-west such link (Liverpool Street to Charing Cross), all giving seamless, key, main-line connections. The Snow Hill Tunnel route remained open for cross-London freight trains until 1970, when the short section between Farringdon and Holborn Viaduct was closed. Overhead electrification, completed in 1982, allowed the northern section to run as the Midland City Line from Bedford via the Midland Main Line to St Pancras, and via the City Widened Lines to Moorgate. The Snow Hill tunnel was re-opened by British Rail to passenger trains after 72 years, with Thameslink beginning in May 1988. On 29 January 1990, the section between Blackfriars and Farringdon was temporarily closed to permit the construction of a new alignment. The route through the site of the long-closed Ludgate Hill station, over Ludgate Hill to Holborn Viaduct was abandoned and demolished. The replacement route under Ludgate Hill was opened on 29 May 1990 by the Network SouthEast (sector of British Rail) concurrently with City Thameslink station, which was initially called St Paul's Thameslink but was renamed in 1991 to avoid confusion with St. Paul's station on the Underground (Central line), about 500 m (550 yd) away. King's Cross Thameslink on Pentonville Road closed on 8 December 2007, when the Thameslink platforms at nearby St Pancras opened. In the south the services divide: many main-line trains run almost due south through London Bridge to East Croydon and many continue to Brighton, but the other route/branch has evolved, as follows:
Thameslink Franchise Owners As of the early 1990s privatisation of British Rail, Thameslink was franchised to Thameslink, a subsidiary of Govia. By late 1998, more than 28,000 passengers were carried at morning peak times. From 1 April 2006, the franchise was taken over by First Capital Connect along with some services that had been WAGN's. The branding of most trains, stations, and signs was changed to match the name of the new company, but City Thameslink and West Hampstead Thameslink were not renamed as Thameslink referred to the route. After criticism of the loss of the apt name for this group of routes, First Capital Connect's publicity began calling this set of services its "Thameslink route" to distinguish it from the former WAGN services. On 14 September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over operations from First Capital Connect. Thameslink Programme Given the network's success, realised plans arose to upgrade the network to cope with persistent peak-time overcrowding. Network Rail obtained planning permission and legal powers in 2006, funding was secured in July 2007 and construction began in October 2007. Plans included rebuilding the station buildings at Farringdon (in conjunction with the Crossrail project) and West Hampstead Thameslink, total rebuild of London Bridge and Blackfriars stations, two new underground platforms at St Pancras International. A new tunnel north of St Pancras International to the East Coast Main Line to allow through services to Peterborough and Cambridge, and platform lengthening. A new 8- and 12-carriage fleet of Class 700 trains began in 2016. The new services on to the Great Northern route began initially on 8 March 2018, with the full timetable being introduced in May 2018. The London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy published in July 2011 laid out a provisional 24tph timetable. South of London it would provide four trains to Brighton (one semi-fast, one stopping) and two each to Three Bridges, Horsham, East Grinstead, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford International, Maidstone East, Sevenoaks and Bellingham. North of London there would be eight semi-fast trains to Bedford, four stopping trains to St Albans, two stopping and two semi-fast trains to Luton, two semi-fast trains to Peterborough, two semi-fast trains to Cambridge and four stopping trains to Welwyn Garden City. Below is a provisional timetable solely for services running through the 'Thameslink core' tunnel. This 'provisional timetable' was proposed before the upgrade and has not yet been achieved. See Services section above for the current service pattern. Thameslink Regionals
Brighton fast 12-car All day
Gatwick Airport (via Redhill) semi-fast 12-car All day
Horsham (via Redhill) semi-fast 12-car All day[a]
Brighton fast 12-car All day[a]
Ashford International (peak only) Maidstone East (off-peak) semi-fast 8-car All day[b]
East Grinstead stopping 12-car Peak only
Littlehampton (via Hove) fast 12-car Peak only
Thameslink Commuter Routes
Rainham (via Greenwich) all stations[d] 8-car All day
Sutton (via Mitcham Junction) all stations 8-car All day
Sutton (via Wimbledon) all stations 8-car All day
Orpington (via Catford) all stations 8-car All day[e]
Sevenoaks (via Catford and Otford) all stations 8-car All day[f]
Thameslink Notes ^:a b Hourly on Sundays. ^ On Sundays, service will run hourly between Cambridge and Kings Cross only, it will not run through the core section or on to Maidstone. ^ Except for Kentish Town, Cricklewood and Hendon. ^ Except for Woolwich Dockyard, Belvedere and Erith. ^ No service on Sundays. ^ An all-day service will operate between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks only, with no service through the core outside of peak hours. Thameslink Overview Thameslink Locale: South East England Greater London East of England Thameslink Predecessor: Thameslink, 2 Mar 1997 – 31 Mar 2006 First Capital Connect, 1 Apr 2006 – 13 Sep 2014 Thameslink Current Operator(s): Govia Thameslink Railway, 14th Sep 2014 – 1 April 2028 Thameslink Termini: Bedford, Peterborough, Cambridge, Sutton, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Rainham, Horsham, Brighton Thameslink Stops: St PancrasBlackfriars Thameslink Train Number(s): TL Thameslink Line(s) Used: Brighton Main Line Chatham Main Line East Coast Main Line Midland Main Line Snow Hill tunnel South Eastern Main Line Sutton Loop Line Thameslink Technical Rolling Stock: 115 Class 700 Desiro City Thameslink Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Electrification: 25 kV 50 Hz AC OHLE 750 V DC third rail Thameslink Track Owner(s): Network Rail | |||||
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