Thameslink Services to reach Kent Coast and Medway Towns

Kent is now due to recieve Thameslink services as far as Medway, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford under current proposals outlined in April's South London Route Utilisation Strategy.

This is all part of the current Thameslink franchisee First Capital Connect's 'Thameslink Programme', designed to increase the capacity on its main Bedford-Brighton 'Express' and Luton-Sutton 'Metro' routes, and also to expand the amount of route's it serves. The planned routes include the running of Services along the Chatham Main Line via Elephant & Castle and Bromley South into the Medway Towns, Maidstone East and Sevenoaks, and along the South Eastern Main Line via Orpington and Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells and Ashford International. Although the current proposal for the terminating station in the Medway area is Rochester, this is not certain, and the location is still under discussion. It is thought that it may be extended to Gillingham to relieve congestion on the North Kent Line, taking some passengers from the Charing Cross/Cannon Street services that already terminate there, or at least to Chatham to link in with the extra Javelin services to St. Pancras International that will operate there compared to Rochester.

Also in the programme is the integration of FCC's Thameslink and Great Northern Routes, running through trains from Peterborough and King's Lynn through the St. Pancras Thameslink Station and further South instead of terminating at King's Cross. The physical connection between the East Coast Main Line (which the Great Northern Suburban Trains run on) and the Thameslink was made possible during the rebuilding of St. Pancras station for High Speed One, with the boring of the new Canal Tunnels that provide a route between the two lines. Track and Overhead Line Equipment will be installed as part of the Thameslink Programme.

The majority of the other routes that FCC intends to begin operating on are critically branches off its trunk Bedford-Brighton Main Line, including serving the East Grinstead branch, leaving the main line at East Croydon, and also at Three Bridges to serve Horsham.

The Thameslink Programme is due for completion in 2015, but FCC services to Kent and Medway could begin as soon as 2011.