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| Overview | |||||
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| Website | www | ||||
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| Train number | TL | ||||
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| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | Class 700Desiro City | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge | ||||
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| Track owner | Network Rail | ||||
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Thameslink is a main line route on theBritish railway network, running fromBedford,Luton,St Albans City,Peterborough,Welwyn Garden City,London Blackfriars andCambridge via central London toSutton,Orpington,Sevenoaks,Rainham,Horsham,Three Bridges,Brighton andEast Grinstead. The initial network opened as a through service in 1988 and, as of 2025, currently calls at 135 stations in regular service.[2] The entire route is currently operated byGovia Thameslink Railway. A part of the route, fromBedford toThree Bridges, runs 24 hours a day, except on early Sunday mornings and during maintenance periods.[3]
TheThameslink Programme was a major £7 billion scheme to increase capacity on the central London section by accommodating more frequent and longer trains, and providing additional routes and destinations.[4] The programme was divided into three key phases, with the final Key Output 2 introducing world-firstAutomatic Train Operation (ATO) technology overEuropean Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2, enabling 24 trains per hour through the core section.[5] The new services began operating in 2018, though the full projected timetable of 24 trains per hour has never been achieved. In 2016, newClass 700 trains started operating on the route and replaced theClass 319,Class 377 andClass 387 trains which were withdrawn and transferred elsewhere.
Passenger services on the Thameslink route, along with all others currently operated byGovia Thameslink Railway, are due to transfer to thepublicly owned operatorThameslink Southern Great Northern on 31 May 2026.[6]
Much of the original route is over theBrighton Main Line (via London Bridge) and the southern part of theMidland Main Line, plus a suburban true loop (circuit) serving Sutton. A branch via theCatford Loop Line to Sevenoaks was added in 2012. Sections toPeterborough on theEast Coast Main Line,Cambridge via theCambridge Line,Horsham on theArun Valley line andRainham viaGreenwich were added in 2018.East Grinstead andOrpington are also served during peak hours.
The route through central London (today known as Thameslink core) is viaSt Pancras International for connections toEurostar and the East Midlands;Farringdon, forLondon UndergroundCircle,Metropolitan andHammersmith & City lines, and theElizabeth line;City Thameslink, which replaced the demolishedHolborn Viaduct station and has a southern entrance serving Ludgate Circus;Blackfriars, for main-line rail services and the UndergroundDistrict and Circle lines; andLondon Bridge for main-line links into Kent and Sussex and the UndergroundNorthern andJubilee lines.King's Cross Thameslink onPentonville Road closed on 8 December 2007.
Trains operating the "main line" service (Bedford and Cambridge to Brighton, Peterborough to Horsham) include first-class accommodation; those operating from Luton, St Albans and Kentish Town to Sutton, Sevenoaks and Orpington are usually standard class only. WhenGovia operated theoriginal Thameslink franchise these services were designated "Thameslink CityFlier" and "Thameslink CityMetro" respectively, butFirst Capital Connect dropped this branding.Govia Thameslink Railway now refers to these services as Route TL1 (formerly Route 6) and Route TL2/TL3 (formerly Route 7/8) respectively.
The Monday–Friday off-peak service pattern, with frequencies intrains per hour (tph), includes:
| Route | tph | Calling at |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford toBrighton[3][7] | 2 | |
| Bedford to Three Bridges via Redhill[3][8] | 2 |
|
| Peterborough toHorsham viaRedhill[9][10] | 2 |
|
| Cambridge toBrighton[9][7] | 2 |
|
| London Blackfriars toSevenoaks via Catford and Otford[11] | 2 | |
| Luton toRainham via Greenwich[11][12] | 2 |
|
| St Albans City toSutton viaWimbledon (loop)[3][13] | 2 |
|
| St Albans City to Sutton viaMitcham Junction (loop)[3][13] | 2 |
|
During peak hours, the two trains per hour London Blackfriars to Sevenoaks service (from the table above) is extended through the 'core section' to/fromWelwyn Garden City (though a few services originate at Finsbury Park), with extra calls at City Thameslink, Farringdon, St Pancras International, Finsbury Park,New Southgate,Oakleigh Park,New Barnet,Potters Bar andHatfield.[11][14]
As well as these services, during peak hours, several extra trains in each direction (approximately two trains per hour) run to/fromOrpington (originating/terminating at either London Blackfriars, Luton, West Hampstead Thameslink or Kentish Town), all calling atPetts Wood in lieu of stations from St Mary Cray to Bat & Ball.[11]
In addition, there are seven trains per day in each direction that operate to/fromEast Grinstead (originating/terminating at either Bedford, West Hampstead Thameslink, St Pancras International or London Bridge), which, after calling at South Croydon, call atSanderstead,Riddlesdown,Upper Warlingham,Woldingham,Oxted,Hurst Green,Lingfield andDormans.[15]
During peak hours, Peterborough to Horsham services call atFaygate between Ifield and Littlehaven, providing the primary service to this station.[16]
There are also three extra trains throughout the evening peak hours that operate from Gatwick Airport to Bedford in that direction only, calling at various stations.[17]
The strategic concept for a north–south through-running railway in London has deep historical roots, predating the Thameslink name by decades. Passenger services operated across London through theSnow Hill tunnel from mid-Victorian times untilWorld War I, when services were withdrawn as inner-London traffic shifted to buses and trams.[18]
On 14 June 1941, railway managerGeorge Dow proposed in an article inThe Star a series of electrified, underground main-line routes to interconnect London's termini, arguing that "London suburban lines cannot play their full part... until they have been interconnected across London and electrified".[19] This vision was further developed in the post-warCounty of London Plan (1943) andGreater London Plan (1944). A 1949 working party identified a high-priority "Route A" that closely resembled the future Thameslink, designed to integrate suburban services and relieve Underground congestion. These ambitious plans were shelved due to post-war austerity, and the Snow Hill Tunnel route remained open only for cross-London freight trains until 1970.[18]
Overhead electrification, completed in 1982, allowed the northern section to run as theMidland City Line fromBedford via theMidland Main Line toSt Pancras, and via theCity Widened Lines toMoorgate.[a]
The concept was revived in the early 1980s as a pragmatic, low-cost project, driven by the newNetwork SouthEast (NSE) sector ofBritish Rail. Established in 1986 under director Chris Green, NSE moved away from a geographically based management structure towards a business-led approach focused on customer markets and reducing public subsidy.[20] The reactivation of the disused Snow Hill Tunnel was identified by NSE as a key project that could better utilise existing assets and create new travel opportunities.[20] A 1984 feasibility study commissioned by theGreater London Council (GLC) had found that the tunnel could be reopened for as little as £7–12 million.[21][22]
The project faced significant institutional resistance.London Transport initially blocked the Parliamentary legislation required for the project, officially due to a dispute over land at Farringdon, but with the "suspicion... that it fears extra competition."[23] An editorial at the time called for the Transport Secretary to "bang BR and LT heads together to get this scheme on the rails as fast as possible."[23] Ultimately, the project received government approval with the passage of the British Rail Bill in 1986, which provided for the reopening and electrification of the tunnel to link the Midland and Southern Regions.[24]
The Snow Hill tunnel was re-opened byBritish Rail to passenger trains after 72 years, with the first Thameslink services beginning in May 1988.[18] Marketed as a solution to the "dodge-the-chaos" strain of changing trains in central London, the service was an immediate success.[25] Passenger demand quickly quadrupled initial projections, leading to severe overcrowding by 1998.[26] The new link also had a significant economic impact, with one contemporary report noting it led to a "home price boom" in areas north of London like St Albans.[27]
On 29 January 1990, the section between Blackfriars and Farringdon was temporarily closed to permit the construction of a new alignment. The route through the site of the long-closedLudgate Hill station, over Ludgate Hill toHolborn Viaduct was abandoned and demolished. The replacement route under Ludgate Hill was opened on 29 May 1990 by theNetwork SouthEast (sector of British Rail) concurrently withCity Thameslink station, which was initially called St Paul's Thameslink but was renamed in 1991 to avoid confusion withSt. Paul's Underground station, about 500 m (550 yd) away.
King's Cross Thameslink onPentonville Road closed on 8 December 2007, when the Thameslink platforms at nearby St Pancras opened.
In the south the services divide: many main-line trains run almost due south throughLondon Bridge toEast Croydon and many continue toBrighton, but the other routes and branches evolved, as follows:
As of the early 1990sprivatisation of British Rail, Thameslink was franchised toThameslink, a subsidiary ofGovia.
By late 1998, more than 28,000 passengers were carried at morning peak times.[28]
From 1 April 2006, the franchise was taken over byFirst Capital Connect along with some services that had been operated byWAGN.[29][30] The branding of most trains, stations, and signs was changed to match the name of the new company, butCity Thameslink andWest Hampstead Thameslink were not renamed asThameslink referred to the route.[b] After criticism of the loss of the apt name for this group of routes,[31] First Capital Connect's publicity began calling this set of services its "Thameslink route" to distinguish it from the former WAGN services.
On 14 September 2014, Govia Thameslink Railway took over operations fromFirst Capital Connect.[32]
TheThameslink Programme was a major £7 billion infrastructure project designed to address the severe overcrowding that had developed on the original 1988 route. The programme comprised infrastructure works totalling £5.5 billion (2017 prices) and new rolling stock with lease costs of £1.7 billion.[4]
Network Rail obtained planning permission and legal powers in 2006,[33] funding was secured in July 2007[34] and construction began in October 2007.[35]
The infrastructure budget increased by £474 million (9.4%) from the original 2012 budget, primarily due to unforeseen complexities at London Bridge station. London Bridge station's long history of development and bomb damage during World War Two meant that much of the site was inadequately documented, requiring design changes and accelerated works to maintain the project schedule.[4]
Plans included rebuilding the station buildings at Farringdon (in conjunction with theCrossrail project) and West Hampstead Thameslink, total rebuild ofLondon Bridge andBlackfriars stations, two new underground platforms at St Pancras International, a new tunnel north of St Pancras International to theEast Coast Main Line to allow through services to Peterborough and Cambridge, and platform lengthening. A new 8- and 12-carriage fleet of Class 700 trains began in 2016. The new services on to theGreat Northern route began initially on 8 March 2018,[36] with the full timetable introduced in December 2019, one year later than originally planned to manage risks associated with introducing the complex service changes.[4]
The programme also identified the need for an additional £900 million of maintenance and renewals work to ensure the wider rail network could reliably support the new high-frequency services, though initial funding covered only £300 million of this work.[4]
The London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy published in July 2011 laid out a provisional 24tph timetable. South of London it would provide four trains to Brighton (one semi-fast, one stopping) and two each to Three Bridges, Horsham, East Grinstead, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Tunbridge Wells, Ashford International, Maidstone East, Sevenoaks and Bellingham. North of London there would be eight semi-fast trains to Bedford, four stopping trains to St Albans, two stopping and two semi-fast trains to Luton, two semi-fast trains to Peterborough, two semi-fast trains to Cambridge and four stopping trains to Welwyn Garden City.[37]
Below is a provisional timetable solely for services running through the 'Thameslink core' tunnel. This 'provisional timetable' was proposed before the upgrade and has not yet been achieved. See Services section above for the current service pattern.
| Regional Routes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Northern terminus | Central London | Southern terminus | Length | Times (core) | |||
| 1 | Bedford | semi-fast | viaLondon Bridge | Brighton | fast | 12-car | All day | |
| 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | Bedford | semi-fast | via London Bridge | Gatwick Airport (via Redhill) | semi-fast | 12-car | All day | |
| 4 | ||||||||
| 5 | Peterborough | semi-fast | via London Bridge | Horsham (via Redhill) | semi-fast | 12-car | All day[c] | |
| 6 | ||||||||
| 7 | Cambridge | semi-fast | via London Bridge | Brighton | fast | 12-car | All day[c] | |
| 8 | ||||||||
| 9 | Cambridge | stopping | via London Bridge | Ashford International (peak only) Maidstone East (off-peak) | semi-fast | 8-car | All day[d] | |
| 10 | ||||||||
| 11 | Bedford | fast | via London Bridge | East Grinstead | stopping | 12-car | Peak only | |
| 12 | ||||||||
| 13 | Bedford | fast | via London Bridge | Littlehampton (via Hove) | fast | 12-car | Peak only | |
| 14 | ||||||||
| Commuter Routes | ||||||||
| No. | Northern terminus | Central London | Southern terminus | Length | Times | |||
| 15 | Luton | all stations[e] | via London Bridge | Rainham (via Greenwich) | all stations[f] | 8-car | All day | |
| 16 | ||||||||
| 17 | St Albans City | all stations | viaElephant & Castle | Sutton (via Mitcham Junction) | all stations | 8-car | All day | |
| 18 | ||||||||
| 19 | St Albans City | all stations | via Elephant & Castle | Sutton (via Wimbledon) | all stations | 8-car | All day | |
| 20 | ||||||||
| 21 | Luton (peak only) Kentish Town (off-peak) | all stations | via Elephant & Castle | Orpington (via Catford) | all stations | 8-car | All day[g] | |
| 22 | ||||||||
| 23 | Welwyn Garden City (peak only) London Blackfriars (off-peak) | stopping | via Elephant & Castle | Sevenoaks (via Catford and Otford) | all stations | 8-car | All day[h] | |
| 24 | ||||||||
All rolling stock used on Thameslink iselectrically powered dual-voltage units using25 kV AC overhead power north of Farringdon and 750 V DCthird rail to the south.[1]
Class 700 trains were delivered between 2015 and 2018, providing an additional 14,500 seats.[clarification needed][38]Siemens Mobility was named preferred bidder on 16 June 2011, with theDesiro City train family.[39] The contract was signed in June 2013[40] for 1,140 carriages, with 55 twelve-car and 60 eight-car trains. The depots are atHornsey andThree Bridges.[39] The Three Bridges depot opened in October 2015 and the first trains entered service in spring 2016. All units are now in service, having replaced theClass 319 andClass 387 fleets.
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Siemens Desiro | 700Desiro City |  | EMU | 100 | 161 | 60 | 8 | All Thameslink services | 2015–2018 |
| 55 | 12 | ||||||||
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The first rolling stock used on Thameslink were the 86Class 319 trains built between 1987 and 1990. These areelectrically powered dual-voltage four-car units rated to carry 289, 308 or 319 passengers. Four Class 319 trains had been transferred fromSouthern in December 2008 and the last four followed in March 2009, from which point they were all on Thameslink. The last was withdrawn in August 2017.[41]
First Capital Connect acquired 23 four-coachClass 377 sets during 2009 on sublease fromSouthern, for the Thameslink route for additional capacity and to allow some of the Class 319 trains to be released for theCatford Loop service to Sevenoaks, now jointly operated withSoutheastern underKey Output 0 of the Thameslink Programme.[42]
Class 317 units built in the early 1980s were still in use when services into Moorgate ceased in March 2009: the last timetabled service ran from Farringdon to Bedford on 9 October 2009.[citation needed]
Due to delays in the newClass 700 fleet, the DfT and Southern ordered 116 electric dual-voltage 110 mph (180 km/h) carriages (29 trains) with the option for another 140 carriages (35 trains).[43][44] The tender for the newClass 387 trains was won by Bombardier and the first set entered service in December 2014, with all in service by May 2015. By 2018, all units were replaced by the new Class 700 fleet with the Class 387 fleet moving over to theGreat Northern brand.[45]
Theinvitation to tender for theThameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise was expected to be issued in October 2012, with the contract commencing in September 2013. In March 2012, theDepartment for Transport announcedAbellio,FirstGroup,Govia,MTR Corporation andStagecoach Group had pre-qualified to bid for the franchise.[46]
Due to problems with theInterCity West Coast tendering process, the process was delayed, with the new franchise delayed until September 2014. The new franchise includes theSouth Central franchise currently operated by Southern and certain routes from theIntegrated Kent Franchise currently operated bySoutheastern.[47]
In May 2014, it was announced that the franchise has been awarded toGovia Thameslink Railway.[48] The new Thameslink Southern & Great Northern franchise[32] will include both the Thameslink Great Northern and South Central franchises.
Govia Thameslink Railway began operations on 14 September 2014, with the formerFirst Capital Connect routes Thameslink andGreat Northern.
Railfuture, an organisation campaigning for better rail services for passengers and freight, has proposed an additional north–south route, connecting theBrighton Main Line to routes north of London, viaEast Croydon,Lewisham,Canary Wharf, andStratford.[49]
The new services, which start on Monday, are aimed at cutting the strain of changing trains when crossing London.
The deal, announced by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, will mean the current 720-carriage Thameslink fleet increasing by 380 carriages. A contract for the new carriages is expected to be awarded in summer 2009, with the first train in service by 2012.
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