Thameslink Programme

The railway junctions at Blackfriars and Snow Hill in 1914

The original Thameslink rail network was created by joining the electrified network south of the Thames with the then recently electrified line between Bedford and St Pancras to the north via the Snow Hill tunnel, allowing passengers to travel between stations to the north and south of London, including Bedford, Luton Airport, Gatwick Airport and Brighton, without changing trains or using the London Underground.[2] New dual-voltage rolling stock was required for the service on account of differing electrification standards north and south of London; lines south of the river are electrified using a 750-volt third rail and those to the north by the more modern 25 kV overhead system. Services began in 1988 and the route was fully inaugurated in May 1990.[3]

Passenger traffic between destinations in north and south London served by Thameslink services quadrupled after the first year of operation.[4] The success of this initial project encouraged British Rail to develop proposals to extend the network.

British Rail proposed to expand and upgrade the original network in the early 1990s, with plans to increase the number of stations served from 50 to 169 and to increase passenger capacity by allowing 12-carriage trains and allowing more trains per hour.[5] In 1994 responsibility for the project, intended to be complete by 2000, was transferred to Railtrack as detailed in the Railways Act 1993. This privatisation, combined with a recession in the UK economy, caused the first of many delays to the project.

Railtrack applied for Transport and Works Act 1992 powers on 21 November 1997,[6] but two months later London and Continental Railways (LCR), a company created to build the High Speed 1 railway between London and the Channel tunnel, announced that it would require a further direct government grant of £1.2 billion (1995 prices) to finance the rail link;[7] and the Thameslink Programme relied on the construction of a 'concrete box' provided by this other project to house the new Thameslink sub-surface station underneath St Pancras station. The Government and LCR did however reach agreement in June 1998[7] allowing the construction of High Speed 1 and also the associated works required for the Thameslink programme to proceed.

During this period Railtrack carried out an extensive public consultation exercise, which resulted in the revision of the original proposals; it then submitted a Supplementary Order on 29 September 1999.[6]

Given the size of the project, the Deputy Prime Minister decided to call for a public inquiry, which began in June 2000 and closed in May 2001.[8] The Inspector spent several months compiling a report on the proposals submitted by Railtrack and the feedback provided by various parties for and against the project before submitting the report to the Government. On 30 July 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM, now known as the Department for Communities and Local Government) published the Inspector's report, which stated that although there was a strong case for the project, the Inspector did not recommend that the project should be given approval as there were three 'deficiencies' that he was not satisfied with:[9]

• The poor quality proposals for the redevelopment of London Bridge station;
• The lack of proposals for a building above the Blackfriars station concourse (which would have created a 'missing tooth' in London's skyline);[10]
• The lack of proposals for the replacement of listed buildings around the historic area of Borough Market.

As a result, the Deputy Prime Minister said in January 2003 that the project would not receive approval and that Network Rail (which had replaced Railtrack by this time) must submit improved proposals and a new Environmental Statement.[11] The delay also led to the 'Thameslink 2000 Agreement', the contract that obliged Network Rail/Railtrack to maintain responsibility for funding the project, being terminated in April 2003. Responsibility for the project’s funding was subsequently transferred to the Strategic Rail Authority.

Network Rail revised the original proposal and submitted it along with an updated Environmental Statement dated 14 June 2004.[12] The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Transport called for a new public inquiry to begin in September 2005.[13] During this period the Strategic Rail Authority was abolished by the Railways Act of 2005, and the Department for Transport (DfT) took over funding responsibility for the project in July 2005.[14]

The second public inquiry took place between September and December 2005,[15] and the Inspector completed the report in February 2006,[16] submitted to the DfT for consideration. In October 2006 the DfT published the second report, declaring that the Inspector was satisfied that the deficiencies of the previous proposals had been resolved, and recommending that the project be approved.[17]

In 2004 TfL had wanted to bring the Thameslink network into the London Underground network or have the route branded as a London Overground route. This would have meant the network being re-branded. The drawback to this idea was that the planned routes to Cambridge, King's Lynn, Ashford (Kent), Littlehampton and Eastbourne would have been abandoned and the improvements would have only benefited London and commuter belt towns within 15 to 20 miles of the city.

In conjunction with the second report, the Secretaries of State for Transport and 'Communities & Local Government' consequently granted Network Rail the planning permission and legal powers required to execute the project, and the Order (officially described as The Network Rail (Thameslink 2000) Order 2006) came into force on 13 December 2006;[18] furthermore, on 19 December 2006,[19] the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport announced that the DfT would grant Network Rail £30 million to 'enable a more informed decision to be made regarding the case for funding the implementation of the project in summer 2007'.[20]

On 24 July 2007, the Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly, formally announced that the Government was fully committed to funding the Thameslink Programme.[21] Since the planning permission and legal powers associated with the project had already been granted, the project was now clear to proceed.[22]

With the downturn in the economy there was some doubt that phase 2 of the project would be completed in its entirety, but on 25 November 2010 the Secretary of State for Transport (Philip Hammond) confirmed that no cutbacks would be made. However, project completion would be delayed until 2018 as the schedule was already difficult to achieve and because cost savings could be made if the level of concurrent activity was reduced.[23]

The first stage, completed on 22 March 2009, was to introduce service changes to allow the major work to take place. The terminal platforms at Blackfriars were closed, as was the Farringdon to Moorgate branch line.[26] A 15 trains per hour (tph) peak-hour service was introduced on the core section between St. Pancras and Blackfriars.[27] A new footbridge was built at Farringdon to improve interchange with London Underground's Circle line. A temporary entrance (now removed) was created at Blackfriars station.[28]

This involved signalling works and alterations to the tracks and overhead line equipment between Farringdon and City Thameslink to allow the merged services to operate. Trains from the south that previously terminated at Blackfriars now terminated at Kentish Town or further north, and 23 dual-voltage Class 377/5 Electrostars were procured to meet the additional rolling stock requirements.[29]

Borough Market junction. The new viaduct before the rails were laid is on the lower left

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,[30] when 10,000 extra peak-period seats were provided.[31][32] 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 (due to open in October 2020 - March 2021), while Blackfriars gained a new entrance on the south bank of the Thames.[33] Platforms at Hendon, Cricklewood, and Kentish Town stations were not, and will not be, extended. Those from Elephant & Castle 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 Charing Cross with their own dedicated routes, and hence allow increased capacity through central London.[31] 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.[34]

Canal Tunnels northern entrance at Belle Isle

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).[32] 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,[35] 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.

On completion of the project,[31] the Thameslink network will be 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,[19][31] providing an extra 14,500 peak-period seats compared to the level of service in 2008.[36]

As part of the project, a purpose-built fleet of 55 12-car and 60 8-car Class 700 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[36] 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.[37]

Blackfriars station from the Thames following its renovation

Blackfriars station has been rebuilt to accommodate 12-car trains and to make many other improvements to both the main line and underground stations at the cost of losing one bay road platform. The mainline station remained open during most of this work. The Underground station was closed for almost three years; it reopened on 20 February 2012.[38]

The through platforms have been extended along Blackfriars Railway Bridge over the River Thames, and the platform layout altered to avoid the need for trains between City Thameslink and London Bridge to cross the lines giving access to the terminus platforms.[39] The new station houses a new shared National Rail/LUL ticket hall and LUL ventilation shaft together with new escalators and lifts between a mezzanine level for National Rail services and the sub-surface level for London Underground services.[40] A new station entrance has been created on Bankside, with a second ticket hall.[41] It opened on 5 December 2011.[42]

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.[43] 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.

The new National Rail entrance at Farringdon, built as part of the Thameslink programme

Works began in 2009 to remodel Farringdon station to accommodate longer Thameslink trains and make other improvements. Platforms were lengthened and a new roof canopy covering the north end of all four platforms was provided, together with a permanent new entrance and concourse facing Turnmill Street. Platforms were widened to accommodate increased patronage.[44]

It was necessary to build the Thameslink platform extensions to the south, since there is a sharp gradient to the immediate north of the station. This resulted in the two-station branch to Moorgate being permanently closed.[45]

The new St Pancras International Thameslink station platforms

Two new low-level platforms at St Pancras International which accept 12-carriage trains replaced the old King's Cross Thameslink station[46] and opened on 9 December 2007.[47] It allows for better interchange with other forms of transport; it has seven escalators, and also two lifts to allow people with impaired mobility to use the station; and it is covered by CCTV.[46] 'Fit-out' works began in summer 2006 (following the decision by the DfT to provide a further £60-65 million for the High Speed 1 project).[46]

King's Cross Thameslink station closed in 2007 with trains calling instead at St Pancras International using the new low-level platforms at the north end of that station. The Pentonville Road entrance of the old King's Cross Thameslink station remains open to provide pedestrian access to King's Cross St. Pancras tube station between 07:00 and 20:00 Mondays to Fridays.

The new concourse (for terminating trains) at London Bridge station, opened in 2012.

London Bridge station has undergone a major transformation to accommodate Thameslink trains during the peak period and achieve many other benefits. Three terminus platforms and a through track have been closed and three new through platforms created, to allow all services going to Cannon Street and Charing Cross to stop at London Bridge, as well as additional services to Thameslink stations north of the Thames. A new station concourse has been built to improve circulation, and the adjacent bus station expanded.[48] New retail facilities have been built into the existing western arcade, which has been re-opened and extended to link the Underground station and Joiner Street.[49]

As shown in the timetable from 13 December 2008, capacity constraints meant that through London Bridge there were no northbound Thameslink trains in the morning peak between 07:24 and 09:09,[50] and no southbound Thameslink trains in the evening peak between 16:43 and 18:27.[51] During these times, Brighton line Thameslink trains ran via Herne Hill instead. The work was designed in part to remedy this situation and improve the flow not only of Thameslink services but also of all Southeastern commuter services from Kent into Charing Cross and Cannon Street.[30]

Work started in 2013 and was completed in 2018.[52] From 5 January 2015 until 20 May 2018, all Thameslink through trains were diverted via Herne Hill and did not call at London Bridge.[53] Thameslink services remained in operation from London Bridge to Brighton via Gatwick Airport with 2 trains per hour.

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, and West Hampstead, where a new station footbridge has been built, to relatively straightforward platform extensions.[54]

First span of the new Borough Market viaduct at Bedale Street

Between London Bridge and the vicinity of Stoney Street and Bedale Street, an extra pair of tracks has been built on a new viaduct to the south of the existing one.[55] Widening of the existing viaduct west of Stoney Street was to the north to avoid affecting the Hop Exchange building to the south.

The new, southern pair of tracks is used by trains to and from Charing Cross. Thameslink trains have a dedicated route to Blackfriars on the northern pair of tracks, which is key to providing the nominal peak-hour frequency of 24tph on the core route.[39]

This work required the demolition of 20 grade 2 listed buildings and many other buildings within Borough Market, which is a Borough High Street Conservation Area,[56] and the original Thameslink programme was rejected at public inquiry partly on the grounds that suitable arrangements were not included to replace the buildings to be demolished within the market.[9] A revised proposal involving remedial work to the market was accepted at a second public inquiry. By January 2009 businesses in the path of the new viaduct were closing down or relocating in preparation for demolition work,[57] and the first section of the new viaduct was installed over the weekend of 10 October 2010.[58] These works had been brought forward to fit in with other, non-railway, developments in the Borough High Street area; the viaduct only came into use in January 2016 as part of the Key Output 2 stageworks when the Charing Cross services started passing through new platforms on the south side of London Bridge High Level Station.

The overgrown spur line to the Bricklayers' Arms branch

With the completion of Borough Market Viaduct to the west of London Bridge, Thameslink trains will use the pair of tracks to the north, and Charing Cross trains will use the new pair of tracks to the south. At present, northbound Thameslink trains arrive into London Bridge to the south of the Kent lines. Construction work will be undertaken to the east of London Bridge so that Thameslink trains from the Brighton Main Line can use a grade-separated crossover to avoid impeding trains from Kent bound for Charing Cross.[59][60]

Services to Charing Cross on the Kent lines will be diverted slightly south in the vicinity of Trundleys Road onto the route of the former branch line to Bricklayers' Arms. They will then slope up alongside the Brighton Main Line just north of South Bermondsey station. Thameslink trains in both directions will cross over the Kent lines on a new bridge, meeting the existing alignment just north of Jarrow Road.

Work commenced during 2013, with bridge-strengthening works near London Bridge station completed in June 2013.[61] The first track was used for services from 27 December 2016, two new lines for SouthEastern traffic will come into service after the August bank holiday and the overall programme of work is expected to be completed in January 2018. [62] [63] [64]

The Canal Tunnels were constructed between 2004 and 2006, as part of the High Speed 1 redevelopment of St Pancras station. Passing under the Regents Canal, the tunnels connect the East Coast Main Line near Kings Cross to the Thameslink route, with services from Cambridge and Peterborough that started in February 2018.[65] There will be eight trains an hour over this route at peak times.[66][67]

The Farringdon to Moorgate branch was permanently closed in March 2009 at the start of the project - the platform extensions at Farringdon blocked access to the tracks leading to this branch. Passengers for Barbican or Moorgate now have to change at Farringdon and use the Underground.

To improve capacity on the line between London Bridge and Lewisham, a new stretch of single track has been built alongside the original bi-directional single track between Tanners Hill Junction (near St John's Station) and Lewisham Vale Junction. Before the new track was laid, St John's Vale Road Bridge was partially demolished and reconstructed with a concrete pier, as well as a new south span over the new track; the existing embankment along the fly-down was also widened.[68] This work was completed in April 2013, and the new track is being used for some services to/from Charing Cross via Lewisham.

The OLE (overhead line equipment) system has been extended from Farringdon to City Thameslink and was commissioned in December 2009,[69] 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.[70] 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.[71]

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.[72] This 20 MW substation is the largest on the 750 V DC third-rail network.[28]