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Thameslink
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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #1
19-01-2012 08:28 AM

For the last few years I have been telling people of the exciting opportunities Thameslink might bring to our local train services. This was a result of the 2008 South London Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS), which suggested 12 carriage trains would run through Forest Hill to London Bridge, Blackfriars, Kings Cross, and beyond.

The publishing of the 2011 London and South East RUS now seems to suggest that we will not get any benefits from Thameslink although there is the following statement that doesn't help to clarify anything:

RUS wrote:
It is emphasised that no decisions have been taken in this regard and timetable development work is ongoing

It is possible that Network Rail are planning to run trains all the way from Brighton to Bedford, stopping at every station South of the Thames, and then semi-fast north of Kings X, but this seems unlikely.

Although Thameslink will still provide a useful link from London Bridge north, it would have been much better for us if we did not have to change at London Bridge. But Network Rail appear to want Thameslink to avoid as much of South London as possible and get out to Sussex (Horsham, East Grinstead, Redhill, Caterham, Tattenham
Corner, Three Bridges, etc) without stopping before Croydon (or possibly Norwood).

The changes are likely to mean that the few remaining trains that go from Forest Hill to East Croydon will run on the fast line and not stop. Anybody wishing to travel to Gatwick will need to change at Norwood Junction and East Croydon.

Today I received confirmation from First Capital Connect that they have no plans to run Thameslink services to Forest Hill after the completion of the Thameslink programme. So it seems that after the end of our services to Charing Cross, Thameslink is being designed to exclude our line from having any future services running north of London Bridge.

After the Olympics we are likely to see a reduction in trains going into London Bridge to allow them to rebuild the station for the benefit of commuters from the Home Counties. As we head towards 2020 and the completion of Thameslink, our lines into London Bridge and Canada Water will once again become some of the most overcrowded commuter services in London. If we are lucky we might see 12 carriage trains if Thameslink allow us to have some of the old Thameslink carriages they no longer need (and money is spent increasing the length of platforms again).

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Messages In This Topic
Thameslink - michael - 19-01-2012 08:28 AM
RE: Thameslink - DerbyHillTop - 19-01-2012, 11:14 AM
RE: Thameslink - NewForester - 19-01-2012, 11:28 AM
RE: Thameslink - lacb - 19-01-2012, 11:58 AM
RE: Thameslink - rbmartin - 19-01-2012, 05:13 PM
RE: Thameslink - lacb - 20-01-2012, 10:34 AM
RE: Thameslink - rbmartin - 20-01-2012, 03:09 PM
RE: Thameslink - lacb - 20-01-2012, 04:43 PM
RE: Thameslink - rbmartin - 20-01-2012, 06:36 PM
RE: Thameslink - michael - 23-08-2012, 09:50 PM
RE: Thameslink - Medley - 24-08-2012, 04:24 PM
RE: Thameslink - rbmartin - 24-08-2012, 04:36 PM