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Great Northern services from May 2020

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GTR fail

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When will the trains from Cambridge/Welwyn Garden city to Maidstone/Sevenoaks finally go down the link (if ever)? They are now 2 years behind schedule! With kings cross being partially closed after December for the remodelling, where will these services go if they aren’t able to go down the link?
Also when will there be an increase in inner surburban services on weekends?
Discuss...
 
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swt_passenger

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Welcome to the forum.

There was an update thread about the state of play with the remaining Thameslink through services in December, this subject is usually discussed in a Thameslink terms.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/thameslink-dec-2019-where-are-we-at.196760/
I suspect the lack of replies to your new thread is purely because the above and related subjects have been continually under discussion for about 2 years by now; there is no official start date to quote, indeed a number of posters here have suggested that 24 tph Thameslink will never happen.
 

Jorge Da Silva

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Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire
Welcome to the forum.

There was an update thread about the state of play with the remaining Thameslink through services in December, this subject is usually discussed in a Thameslink terms.
{link to be inserted here}
I suspect the lack of replies to your new thread is purely because the above and related subjects have been continually under discussion for about 2 years by now; there is no official start date to quote, indeed a number of posters here have suggested that 24 tph Thameslink will never happen.

This december? the remaining service will be transferred to the tunnels
 

MikeWM

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Ely
It would be nice if we ever got the promised later last service from London to points north of Cambridge, which was in the various 2018 consultations but has failed to materialise since. As it is, the last train is now at 2309 M-F, 2312 Saturday and 2311 Sunday - which is *earlier* than before 2018, when each of these services left at 2315. These few minutes here can make a large difference for people attending the cinema/theatre/opera/etc. in London - especially given how unreliable the Piccadilly line has become over the last few years. A service around 2340 as was promised would provide a decent safety net for most of these things.

I would also mention the need for an earlier first service on Sundays from north of Cambridge. While this hasn't ever been promised, it is most certainly needed, as anyone who has tried to catch the 0857 off Ely would confirm.
 

bramling

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5 Mar 2012
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Hertfordshire / Teesdale
When will the trains from Cambridge/Welwyn Garden city to Maidstone/Sevenoaks finally go down the link (if ever)? They are now 2 years behind schedule! With kings cross being partially closed after December for the remodelling, where will these services go if they aren’t able to go down the link?
Also when will there be an increase in inner surburban services on weekends?
Discuss...

The simple answer at the moment is no one seems to know. Paths are in for Welwyn to Sevenoaks from this May, but there’s doubt as to whether these will actually start either in May or at some other point during the currency of that timetable, or at all during that timetable.

As to Cambridge to Maidstone, this is even further in the long grass, and apparently depends upon stabling provision being provided at Ashford. There’s then further informed suggestions that questions are being asked as to whether the core can handle this service at peak times.

Another iteration is whether Welwyn to Sevenoaks gets ditched but replaced with Cambridge to Sevenoaks, as presumably there is no issue in running an extra 2tph through the core off-peak That would require some re-planning of the timetable of course, which might not be readily possible.

In short, wait and see seems to be the only viable answer.
 
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