09.01.18
Thameslink test trains travel through new London Bridge platform for first time
GTR’s first test passenger trains have made the trip through the new platform 5 at London Bridge following the completion of nearly three years of work.
The eight-carriage Class 700 RLU was the first passenger train to complete a journey over the new Bermondsey Dive-Under, as it came into London Bridge from New Cross Gate on New Year’s Day.
The operator says timetable changes will probably lead to the full opening of the new platform in May this year, following a period of driver and track training.
Speaking after travelling on the first service, GTR project manager Gwyn Jones commented: “It was a big moment to be on the first Class 700 train travelling on the new infrastructure into London Bridge and Blackfriars.
“The work will bring Thameslink back into London Bridge with dedicated routes, unblocking a bottleneck that will allow us to massively expand the Thameslink network this May.”
GTR’s new Class 700 fleet debuted on Thameslink services back in September 2017, with 12-carriage trains replacing mostly four-carriage (weekday) and eight-carriage (Saturday) twice-hourly services, meaning there are now 9,000 more seats every weekday.
Simon Blanchflower, Network Rail programme director for the Thameslink Programme, said: “This has already been a year of ‘firsts’ and this test train was a key moment for Thameslink.
“From this May, trains will run from platform 5 at London Bridge, offering new journeys and destinations from what has become one of the biggest and best stations in the country.”
Around 70% of the additional services which were expected as part of the Thameslink Programme expansion will be introduced in May, but GTR was forced to backtrack on promises of 24 trains per hour to avoid, as the project’s manager told RTM back in December, a “difficult period of train running where we can’t get the right level of reliability and operation.”
In addition, a National Audit Office review of services found that other services which feed into London were not at a sufficient level to fully support Thameslink’s network.
However, GTR is still driving through improvements to its services, with the full London Bridge station opening to passengers last week, boasting the final section of a large new concourse, and five new platforms which have been closed.
Top image: GTR
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