PHIL HUTCHINSON, Govia Thameslink Railway’s Head of Strategic Planning, discusses the development of the new Thameslink timetable with Modern Railways
Reaching out onto four main line networks, with major new interchanges, Thameslink is becoming the heart of the UK rail network.
Introducing its new, extensive network of routes requires a ‘once in a generation’ timetable change, and GTR’s Phil Hutchinson says the company has set out to take the opportunity to have open, honest and transparent conversations about what the train service should be in the future, addressing weaknesses in the current timetable structure as it embarks on such a major timetable change.
By December 2019, the high peak service is planned to give 24 trains per hour through the central London core route of Thameslink – a train every 2.5 minutes – with the new technology of automatc train operation (ATO) and European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) exploited. The new Class 700 trains are in fixed formations of eight and 12 cars, and no other rolling stock will be timetabled for Thameslink services.
The Thameslink network is expanding with new routes and greater connectivity, and so the May 2018 timetable change involves sign…
