Commuters in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire will enjoy an increase in train capacity during peak times from December as part of a new rail schedule.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has announced the new timetable as part of plans to tackle congestion during peak hours, during which many passengers have struggled amid a lack of available seating and space on board trains.
Thameslink trains have become increasingly important for commuters to London in recent years as workers have begun to rely on the GTR's services as an alternative to living closer to the country's capital.
The rail operator has been working hard to improve the commuter experience, and has invested heavily in improving the quality of station facilities along Thameslink routes.
In addition to increasing capacity, Thameslink has also altered timetables to provide faster train services for those looking to travel to and from London. A new train leaving Bedford at 7:15am will only stop at Leagrave at 7:30am before continuing to Luton, Harpenden, St Albans, and London St Pancras, providing all stops along the route an additional fast service during the busy rush hour period.
This replaces a previous, slower service which left Bedford at 7:11am and which stopped at every station between Leagrave and Elephant & Castle. This train will now commence its journey at Luton so as not to reduce the capacity for the busiest part of its route.
The 5:36pm service from St Pancras to Bedford will now run faster by omitting stops on its previous route. The stations of Luton Airport Parkway, Harlington, and Flitwick will now be served by a new, slower train which departs five minutes later.
In addition to improving capacity for Home Counties commuters, Thameslink's new timetable will provide journeys to Brent Cross West, London's newest station, which is set to open on 10 December.
The station will benefit from six trains in each direction per hour during off-peak times, and an additional two trains per hour during the morning and evening commuting hours.
The majority of the trains stopping at Brent Cross West will run between St Albans and Sutton, with two per hour instead travelling between Luton and Rainham in Kent.
According to GTR's Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders:
“We're constantly listening to our passengers and local communities, and these improvements are designed to meet demand where they tell us it's needed most, help communities grow, and attract new customers to rail.”
Still waiting for lifts on Luton Station. It is a disgrace that these have still not been installed. Huge numbers of people use this station every day.
Huntingdon to Arlesey on the Great Northern side. 2 trains per hour during the week and 1 per hour on a Sunday. The worst service on any part of the GTR network. Surely that would have been a better place to look for improvements especially the Sunday service.
Re Bromley. What has happened with the Maidstone and Ashford services promised? These would be an ideal service if they ran via Bromley instead of non stop Swanley to London Bridge
The service on the Bromley South line is unreliable – many delays and cancellations usually at short notice,. Improving that should surely should be a priority too, since it is such a popular route, as should re-introducing some semi-fast services as commented earlier. There is also a real need to improve the passage of trains through Blackfriars as when something goes wrong there (signal failures are frequent) it affects absolutely everything.
What about the bromley line, there are now no semi fast trains to Bromley South from blackfriars , there were prior to the pandemic, journeys are slow, often cancelled & rammed, put more rush hour services in & some semi fast options
5.36pm? When did Thameslink, along with all other operators quote in 12hour clock timings???
But what about the great northern? We are still missing two fast trains an hour during peak times. Before the pandemic trains to kings cross use to take 24 minutes, now it is 38 rising to 39 in December.