Thameslink Programme

The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, was a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London. The development facilitated new cross-London journeys, which means that fewer passengers have to change trains in London. Work included platform lengthening, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure, and new rolling stock. The project was originally proposed in 1991 following the successful introduction of the initial Thameslink service in 1988. After many delays, planning permission was granted in 2006 and funding was approved in October 2007. Work started in 2009 and was completed on 18 September 2020, although trains over the new routes began running in 2018.

The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, was a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London. The development facilitated new cross-London journeys, which means that fewer passengers have to change trains in London. Work included platform lengthening, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure, and new rolling stock. The project was originally proposed in 1991 following the successful introduction of the initial Thameslink service in 1988. After many delays, planning permission was granted in 2006 and funding was approved in October 2007. Work started in 2009 and was completed on 18 September 2020, although trains over the new routes began running in 2018. === Key Output 1 (completed 2012)=== All aspects of Key Output stage 1 were completed by mid-2012, in time for the London Olympics. A major objective of this phase was to enable 12-carriage trains to run on the Bedford-Brighton route. Work affecting this was completed in time for the December 2011 timetable change, when 10,000 extra peak-period seats were provided. By then, 23 stations between Bedford and Brighton had been extended to accommodate the longer trains; in addition, Farringdon and Blackfriars stations had been rebuilt to take 12-car trains and allow for increased passenger flows. Works at Farringdon also allowed for the east–west Crossrail route (which opened as the Elizabeth line in May 2022), while Blackfriars gained a new entrance on the south bank of the Thames. Platforms at , , and stations were not, and will not be, extended. Those from southwards on the Thameslink suburban (Wimbledon/Sutton) loop, and on the Catford loop line towards Sevenoaks, will likewise remain 8-car stations. A new viaduct was built over Borough Market and Borough High Street to provide trains to Blackfriars and to with their own dedicated routes, and hence allow increased capacity through central London. Though completed in 2012, this only came into use (as scheduled) in January 2016. The fly-down at Tanners Hill near Lewisham was widened and made double-track. === Key Output 2 (completed September 2020)=== Until summer 2018 there were major track, signalling and station remodelling works at London Bridge station as part of the Masterplan project (some works within the station building started during Key Output 1). A grade-separated junction was created at Bermondsey. New permanent way (track level, in this case including both plain rail and junctions) and overhead line equipment were laid out in the new Canal Tunnels just north of St Pancras between the Thameslink route and the East Coast Main Line, opening up the Thameslink network to new destinations north of London. An overhead conductor rail replaced the traditional Mk3b solid wire between the former King's Cross Thameslink station to St Pancras International station. In July 2020, the consolidation of signalling across the region into a new Railway Operating Centre at was completed, with the closure of the 1970s London Bridge Area Signalling Centre. On completion of the project, the Thameslink network is now able to handle a nominal peak-period frequency of 24 trains per hour (equivalent to 1 train every 2 minutes and 30 seconds) through the central core between St Pancras and Blackfriars, providing an extra 14,500 peak-period seats compared to the level of service in 2008. As part of the project, a purpose-built fleet of 55 12-car and 60 8-car trains (equivalent to 1,140 carriages) is now operating across the network (see the "Rolling stock" section below). The procurement process started in April 2008 and the first train entered service in June 2016. To meet the power requirements of this new fleet, electricity-supply enhancement works were carried out, creating 11 new feeder stations/sub-stations, upgrading a further 21 and converting 9 from track sectioning/paralleling equipment; in addition, new track sectioning/paralleling equipment is being installed in 9 locations and upgraded in a further 4. === City Thameslink station=== City Thameslink station has been upgraded to enable 12-car trains to call. The platforms themselves were already long enough, but it was necessary to add extra train despatch equipment (CD/RA indicators) and replace and enhance the CIS (Customer Information Screens) so that information is displayed in a standard format across the central section. New lighting and an additional ticket gate have also been installed. The work was completed in October 2010. Also, as part of Key Output 0, 25 kV AC overhead lines were installed. Northbound trains change from third rail to overhead power here – any trains which cannot do so due to a fault can terminate here and use the adjacent sidings at Smithfield; southbound trains change to third rail power at nearby Farringdon Station but can run into the southbound platform at City Thameslink on AC power if an on-train fault results in the DC collector equipment being faulty – trains can then return north from the southbound platform at City Thameslink back towards Farringdon. ===Other stations=== Work has been carried out at a number of stations north of the Thames to extend the platforms to accommodate 12-car trains. These vary from quite major works such as at Luton, where new bridges had to be installed, Cambridge, where two new island platforms were built, and West Hampstead, where a new station footbridge has been built, to relatively straightforward platform extensions. ==Other major works== ===Other infrastructure works=== The OHLE (overhead line equipment) system has been extended from Farringdon to City Thameslink and was commissioned in December 2009, Combined with a new crossover in Snow Hill tunnel between the two stations, this allows southbound trains to be turned back should they fail to change from AC overhead line traction current to DC third rail. The crossover previously located within City Thameslink station which enabled trains from Smithfield sidings to enter platform 2 was removed as Blackfriars station was rebuilt. This also allows trains to change from DC to AC power northbound at City Thameslink – and for access into Smithfield Sidings for northbound trains should AC power be unavailable for any reason. Between City Thameslink and Blackfriars, a large electrical substation has been built at Ludgate Cellars. This 20 MW substation is the largest on the 750 V DC third-rail network. ==Provisional timetable== In 2011 a provisional timetable was released for Thameslink services in the London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy. It confirmed that Sutton loop services were to be curtailed at Blackfriars, but this decision was subsequently reversed by government. A new proposed timetable was released with the announcement of the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise winner in May 2014¹. As part of consultations, the proposed timetable received further tweaks in September 2016 and June 2017: ==References== ===Citations===

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