The “Thameslink Programme” is a £5.5 billion programme to increase the capacity of the existing railway that serves Radlett by providing brand new 12 car trains. The Government finally approved the funding for the project earlier this year for the Northern part of the line from Bedford to London Bridge but not the Southern part to Brighton. After a long running campaign which I initiated over 15 years ago, Radlett will now be included in the programme so that our platforms will be extended to accommodate the 12 car trains and services to new destinations such as Sevenoaks will stop here.
Inevitably with such a huge engineering project, there will be disruption to services but Network Rail and the operators, First Capital Connect, have committed themselves to managing the work so that it should always be possible to get to and from London at weekends (when much of the major work will be done) although it will sometimes mean using different stations such as Kentish Town or West Hampstead rather than St Pancras.
The overall work will be in three phases, ending in March 2009, December 2011 and December 2015 (completion):
Phase 1 (March 2009) will see the end of services to Moorgate and some extra through services to Sevenoaks. From January 2009 the line between St Pancras and Blackfriars will be closed every weekday evening from 2230 until 0430 and most weekends until Spring 2011. Work will start on a completely new Blackfriars Station (located over the river) and the platforms used by Southeast trains will be closed for three years. FCC will have an extra 23 brand new “Class 377” trains operating from Bedford to London from 1 March 2009.
Phase 2 (December 2011) will include major work at Farringdon station, including a new footbridge, large concourse and platform extensions plus some work for the Crossrail Project (also now going ahead). As a result, Farringdon will be closed most weekends. It is during this phase, in 2010, that Radlett station's platforms will be extended and 12 car trains will be stopping here by Spring 2011.
Phase 3 (December 2015) will include a completely new station at London Bridge which will be built starting immediately after the Olympics in 2012. The completed project will see 24 trains per hour running through the central core from St Pancras to London Bridge although there are still some issues to be resolved concerning signalling to enable this to work. New destinations from Radlett (not all direct but some with just one change) will include Dartford, Ashford, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, Guildford, Horsham and Littlehampton.
Inevitably with such a huge engineering project, there will be disruption to services but Network Rail and the operators, First Capital Connect, have committed themselves to managing the work so that it should always be possible to get to and from London at weekends (when much of the major work will be done) although it will sometimes mean using different stations such as Kentish Town or West Hampstead rather than St Pancras.
The overall work will be in three phases, ending in March 2009, December 2011 and December 2015 (completion):
Phase 1 (March 2009) will see the end of services to Moorgate and some extra through services to Sevenoaks. From January 2009 the line between St Pancras and Blackfriars will be closed every weekday evening from 2230 until 0430 and most weekends until Spring 2011. Work will start on a completely new Blackfriars Station (located over the river) and the platforms used by Southeast trains will be closed for three years. FCC will have an extra 23 brand new “Class 377” trains operating from Bedford to London from 1 March 2009.
Phase 2 (December 2011) will include major work at Farringdon station, including a new footbridge, large concourse and platform extensions plus some work for the Crossrail Project (also now going ahead). As a result, Farringdon will be closed most weekends. It is during this phase, in 2010, that Radlett station's platforms will be extended and 12 car trains will be stopping here by Spring 2011.
Phase 3 (December 2015) will include a completely new station at London Bridge which will be built starting immediately after the Olympics in 2012. The completed project will see 24 trains per hour running through the central core from St Pancras to London Bridge although there are still some issues to be resolved concerning signalling to enable this to work. New destinations from Radlett (not all direct but some with just one change) will include Dartford, Ashford, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, Guildford, Horsham and Littlehampton.
No comments:
Post a Comment