NR chief executive John Armitt described the decision as a landmark.

"We are now one step closer to getting the green light for an essential congestion-beating rail project on one of the busiest parts of our network," he said.

The project will take an estimated seven years to build and passengers should begin to see the benefits within the first three years.

Thameslink route map

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said the announcement was a "much-needed and long-overdue step".

He said: "Overcrowding is already a big issue during the peak on these routes, with only 42% of commuters on these routes telling us they are satisfied with the room to sit and stand."

Michael Snyder, of City of London, said: "We have been campaigning long and hard for these Thameslink improvements and we are absolutely delighted to welcome the scheme."

There will be major improvements to London Bridge, Blackfriars and Farringdon stations, including platform extensions to cater for longer trains.

Peak-time trains will increase from eight an hour to as many as 24, using 12-carriage services rather than the present eight.

A Department for Transport spokesman said a decision on Thameslink funding would be announced by next summer at the latest.

The project is part of the First Capital Connect franchise, which is operated by FirstGroup Plc.

See also:

Boost for £3.5bn rail scheme

Independent Online: 19 October 2006
By Michael Harrison

A £3.5bn scheme to ease rail congestion in central London moved a big step forward yesterday after the Government announced it was granting Network Rail legal powers and planning permission to build the Thameslink upgrade.

Funding for the long-delayed project has not yet been agreed and will depend on the settlement the company comes to next year with the Department for Transport. Rail executives are confident that the decision to grant planning permission means the upgrade will go ahead, even though it will end up being built 14 years late. John Armitt, the chief executive of Network Rail, described the announcement as a "landmark decision".

The upgrade will more-than double capacity on one of Europe's busiest rail routes - the corridor between London Bridge station south of the Thames and Farringdon to the north - and more than treble the number of stations served by direct north-south services to 172.

Blackfriars and Farringdon stations will be rebuilt, London Bridge will be extensively enlarged and 12-carriage trains will replace the existing eight-carriage ones. If it goes ahead, the upgrade will start in 2008 and take seven years to complete, but Network Rail said many of the improvements in services north of the river would be ready in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

The Thameslink project accounts for nearly half the £7.9bn Network Rail proposes to spend on enhancements between 2009 and 2014. The options for the Government are either to fund it directly with capital grants or allow Network Rail to borrow the money and then cover its costs through the access charges it levies on train operators. This, in turn, could mean higher fares for passengers or subsidies from government to train operators to cover the increased access charge.

Network Rail will get a clearer idea of whether there will be funding available next spring when the Government publishes its "high level output" statement - a menu of which rail projects it wants to see go ahead.

First Group won a new nine-year franchise earlier this year to operate the Thameslink service, which has now been renamed First Capital Connect, after agreeing to pay the Government £809m in premiums. The route runs from Brighton to Bedford via Gatwick and Luton airports.

Approval for the scheme heightens the chances of the Gatwick Express franchise, currently held by National Express, being scrapped because First Group will be able to offer an improved service into central London.

See also:

Thameslink rail project gains T&W Act powers

Transport Briefing: 18/10/06  

The delayed Thameslink 2000 rail upgrade project has taken a major step forward with the government today agreeing to grant planning permission and legal powers to Network Rail to rebuild and expand the route.

In a written statement to Parliament, the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government today granted legal powers and planning consents to Network Rail for the £3.5bn ‘Thameslink Programme’. This includes the necessary Transport and Works Act Order giving planning permission and statutory powers to Network Rail, together with listed building and conservation area consents, including the demolition of contested sites around Borough Market and consents for consequential rail closures. It follows the recommendations of the planning inspectorate’s public inquiry last year into the scheme.

Expected to take seven years to complete and cost £3.5bn, the Thameslink project will more than double passenger capacity on one of Europe’s busiest stretches of railway – the core route through London Bridge, Blackfriars and Farringdon – benefiting tens of thousands of passengers each day. The scheme will also increase the number of stations linked by direct north-south services by more than 200% from the present 51 to 172.

The project would deliver a maximum of 24 trains per hour through the core section – up from the present eight – with platforms and signaling allowing 12-car trains to run, instead of the current maximum of eight-coach formation. There would be less overcrowding across the Thameslink route with reduced congestion on the London Underground – particularly the Northern and Victoria lines – and much improved Tube access at rebuilt Farringdon, Blackfriars and London Bridge stations.

A total of 172 stations would be linked by the extended Thameslink routes, up from the present 51, reducing the need for passengers to change trains or travel using the London Underground. Track and signaling would be simplified and key rail bottlenecks removed.

Major investment is planned at London Bridge, Blackfriars, Farringdon and platform extensions at 50 outlying stations to accommodate longer trains. Blackfriars would become the first London station to span the river Thames, with entrances on both north and south banks, and Farringdon redeveloped as an interchange with planned Crossrail services. London Bridge would be completely rebuilt and modernised with capacity for an extra 60,000 people during peak hours.

Although the project remains unfunded, the approval of a comprehensive package of planning requirements signals that the government is likely to approve cash for the scheme within a few months. A major review of the UK’s long-term transport needs by former British Airways chief executive Sir Rod Eddington is due to be published next month shortly before the Treasury’s pre-budget report, which sets out the direction of Government policy in the run up to the spring Budget and the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. This in turn will dictate how much money is available to the Department for Transport to spend on capital projects between 2008 and 2011.

Under current plans the Thameslink project would be split into two phases. An initial programme of works would lengthen platforms at key stations and redevelop London Blackfriars and Farringdon stations. These measures would allow 50% of the capacity benefits of the scheme – including an extra 10,000 peak hours seats – to be delivered in time for the capital to host the 2012 Olympics. With the station enhancements and additional rolling stock it would be possible to operate regular 12-car trains along the existing Thameslink route. Passengers would begin to benefit from the scheme from 2009.

The project would then be ‘paused’ for the 2012 London Olympics after which work to increase train frequencies from eight to 24 an hour would continue. These include building a viaduct over the historic Borough market adjacent to London Bridge station, construction of a new dive-under at Bermondsey, and a £600m overhaul of London Bridge station.

John Armitt, Network Rail’s chief executive, said: “This is a landmark decision that underlines growing confidence in Network Rail to deliver major improvements on Britain’s railways. We are now one step closer to getting the green light for an essential congestion-beating rail project on one of the busiest parts of our network. Passengers want easier, more frequent, direct and comfortable journeys. The Thameslink scheme offers exactly this, and an early funding decision would enable us to deliver significant benefits before 2012.”