Is this really true?
assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rail-franchising-timetable/rail-franchising-timetable-20120301.pdfThe new Thameslink franchise will include all services currently operated by First Capital Connect from Sept 2013; some services currently operated by Southeastern at a point between April and Dec 2014; and include all services operated by the current Southern Franchise from July 2015.
From DfT Rail Franchising Timetable - as at 01 March 2012
The new Thameslink franchise will include all services currently operated by First Capital Connect from Sept 2013; some services currently operated by Southeastern at a point between April and Dec 2014; and include all services operated by the current Southern Franchise from July 2015.
assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rail-franchising-timetable/rail-franchising-timetable-20120301.pdf
Does this help?The bit that intrigues me is the part I've highlighted about "some" Southeastern services.
From assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rail-passenger-franchise-thameslink/thameslink-ojeu-notice.pdfThe Thameslink franchise will:
- include all services that are currently operated by the First Capital Connect (FCC) franchise from September 2013;
- at a point between April and December 2014 the franchise would include some services currently operated by Southeastern. These services would be all those that are jointly operated by FCC and Southeastern at present, and some further current Southeastern services which may be transferred to enable the implementation of the full Thameslink service operations;
- include all the services operated by the current Southern franchise at some time between July 2014 and July 2017;
- operate until 2020 (unless the Secretary of State exercises her contractual rights to extend beyond this date) allowing for the Thameslink programme infrastructure works to be completed, the new Thameslink programme rolling stock to be fully deployed, the new train control systems to be commissioned and the future Thameslink timetable to be implemented.
From Schedule 1 of Pre-qualification questionnaireSouth Eastern
The vast majority of Southeastern services will remain within the Southeastern franchise but, progressively from 2014 onwards, the Thameslink franchisee will take responsibility for those services currently jointly operated by FCC and Southeastern; and also for those Southeastern services which will become Thameslink services when the full Thameslink timetable is implemented in December 2018.
Does this help?From assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/rail-passenger-franchise-thameslink/thameslink-ojeu-notice.pdf
and this ?From Schedule 1 of Pre-qualification questionnaire
It does seem to be the plan that the Thameslink franchise will take over the current Southern operation (or at least parts of it at least with the remainder going to somewhere like SWT) but I don't think it's planned for as soon as next year.
Don't see why they won't be branded different. After all Southern and Gatwick Express are the same franchise.
This whole thing is absurd. Southern should merge with Southeastern and the TL half of FCC and that should be it. The Southern name should be retained. Having said that, the DFT's big plan is probably to withdraw all the 375/377s to cut costs, and give the franchise to NX.....
The only things in FCC that won't be thameslink after the programme is finished are the Moorgate trains and the Cambridge Flyers.
With the Cambridge Flyers planned to be operated using IEP stock I think it makes sense for them to transfer to East Coast at that point.
A spokesman for Ken Livingstone commented: “The agreement that Londoners really need to know about is by how much Johnson has promised the Tory government he will raise fares each year.”
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What I'd like to see is a single branding post merger with blue version for Thameslink (Desiro Cities/ 700), green for Southern services (313/377/442) and purple for Great Northern (313/365).
I was at Bognor Regis station and at Littlehampton station last week whilst on a holiday visit and asked a few of the locals what they thought about the name of Southern changing to Thameslink in those areas.
Shocked dis-belief would be the kindest way of describing the reaction of those that I spoke to....some used rather stronger language to express their feelings.
These ideas have been floating around for a while.