Earlier today the Transport Secretary, Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, announced that rail firm, Govia Thameslink Railway Limited, had been awarded the Thameslink Southern Great Northern (TSGN) seven year franchise to deliver the Government’s multi-billion pound investment in rail services in the South East through the Thameslink Programme.
The company, which will begin its operations in September, will be responsible for the delivery of new, state-of-the-art trains procured by the Government as part of this programme, and will also bring in private sector investment in two additional new electric train fleets during the franchise. These will provide the franchise with 50 per cent more capacity from 25 per cent more vehicles giving 10,000 more seats, and
provide more pleasant journeys for Crawley’s rail passengers.
In addition, Govia Thameslink Railway Limited will provide free Wi-Fi at more than 100 stations and improve the retail and catering provision. The new agreement also includes the extension of staffing hours so that, at more than 100 of the largest stations, there will be a presence from the first train in the morning to the last train at night.
Crawley MP, Henry Smith, welcoming the announcement commented:
“As a commuter myself, it is great news to hear that we will have more trains, with more seats serving our town and helping to alleviate the overcrowded conditions and rail congestion that all too often blights our daily commute.
“A world class railway is a vital part of our long-term economic plan. New state-of-the-art trains, more seats, better connections and improved stations will transform travel across London and Crawley. That’s great news for businesses and the thousands of fellow Crawley commuters who use these vital services every day.
“Today’s announcement comes as part of a package of infrastructure improvement work servicing the Crawley area which includes the Government’s £50 million contribution for the comprehensive redevelopment of Gatwick Airport’s railway station, signalling and track capacity and £26 million upgrade of Three Bridges station.
The franchise will play a crucial role in delivering the Government’s £6.5 billion Thameslink programme – a major programme of infrastructure work that is helping create 8,000 jobs and will allow 24 trains per hour to travel in each direction from Blackfriars to St Pancras. New tunnels will link Peterborough and Cambridge to the existing Thameslink route providing easy access across London via St Pancras to Gatwick and Brighton.
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Notes
New trains
• 108 new Gatwick Express carriages designed for airline travellers by 2016
• 150 new metro carriages for Moorgate services in 2018
• 1,140 Thameslink Class 700 carriages already ordered from Siemens delivered between 2016 and 2018
More services
• 10,000 additional morning peak seats into London
• 26% more morning peak carriages into London
• 50% more passenger capacity created
• Improvements to services including:
o Up to 24 trains per hour during the peak periods through the Thameslink core (St Pancras to Blackfriars), up from 15 per hour today, an increase of 60%
o More direct services to and from Gatwick Airport including a new direct Cambridge to Brighton service
o Improved Brighton Main Line services
Stations and staffing
• £50m investment to enhance all 239 stations including improving access, installing electronic information screens and working with local authority parners on the redevelopment of St Albans and Luton stations
• Staffing hours increased: 100 busiest stations staffed from first to last train
• Simplified ticketing and extension of ‘the key’ smartcard
• 104 stations with free wifi
• £1.5m on station access improvements including increased cycle storage and electrical vehicle charging points
Improving standards
• Timetables designed to improve punctuality
• 20,000 days of customer service training for frontline employees
• Investment in technology such as smartphone apps and websites to improve real-time information make door-to-door travel easier
• On-hand assistance for passengers during Thameslink Programme
Local community focus
• Continuing support of Community Rail Partnerships
• Providing young people with work experience and mentoring
• Award winning education programme Go-Learn used with local schools
• £1m per year for local communities to spend on improvements at stations