Thameslink
Thameslink is a 225 km long railway line with 50 stops, which leads through London in a north-south direction from Bedford to Brighton. The S-Bahn -like route also serves the London Gatwick Airport and London Luton. Per year transported Thameslink about 40 million travelers. Most of the route follows the Brighton Main Line and the southern part of the Midland Main Line. In the center of London it leads through the Snow Hill tunnel. The operation was carried out first by the railway company Govia, since April 1, 2006, First Capital Connect responsibility.
The northern part
The northern section corresponds to the earlier so-called " Bedpan " - (literally " bedpan " ) connection from Bedford to London St Pancras on the main line Midland Main Line.
The Snow Hill tunnel, the central bond through London, in 1988 after 50 years reopened for passenger traffic. For Thameslink were older tunnel sections, including built by the Metropolitan Railway Widened Lines, merged to form a new route. The through trains stopped no longer in St Pancras, but in the underground station King's Cross Thameslink.
From 2004 to May 2005, the trains between King's Cross and St Pancras were separated, since in this region tunnel for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), the new range of Euro Star, Euro Tunnel via Stratford International to St Pancras, were built. Since the opening of the second section of the CTRL in 2007 hold the Thameslink trains in a new Thameslink station directly under the St Pancras railway station.
In central London the following stations from north to south are approached:
- King's Cross Thameslink under the Pentonville Road can be reached in the vicinity of the railway stations of King's Cross and St Pancras, but just across the street or a pedestrian tunnel. 2007, the station was replaced by a new building under the St Pancras railway station.
- Farringdon; here there is a transfer possibility in the Circle Line and the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground
- City Thameslink, the first St Paul's was called, but was renamed to avoid confusion with the significantly distant subway station St. Paul's on the Central Line to avoid.
- Blackfriars, with interchanges with other railroads and the District Line and the Circle Line of the London Underground
- London Bridge, where also offers connecting flights to other railway lines as well as to the Northern Line and Jubilee Line.
A branch line led to 2009 Farringdon via Barbican to Moorgate.
The southern part
In the south, the line branches into two directions; The main line runs from London Bridge Station via East Croydon and Gatwick Airport to Brighton, the side road bends behind Blackfriars to Elephant & Castle from and then guides you through Streatham, Tooting, Wimbledon, Sutton and Mitcham Junction back to Streatham. Some trains from Brighton turn coming behind East Croydon on the branch line from and meet only in Blackfriars back on the main line, so that not all trains from Gatwick to London Bridge in London.
Originally was the detour via Elephant & Castle and Streatham to West Croydon, Carshalton Beeches and then on to Sutton, Epsom, Leatherhead, Effingham Junction and Guildford. After the privatization of the British railway branch line first ended in West Croydon and was then completely changed since 1995, West Croydon is no longer approached.
Thameslink is a great success and apart from the metro and the further west trains running West London Line is the only rail line that runs through London, instead of ending in one of the terminal stations since it opened. Crossrail, a similar line in an east-west direction, is in the planning, but this much more new tunnels will be necessary.
Rolling stock
The rolling stock consists of 74 of Thameslink trains of type Class 319 (now Bombardier Transportation) were built in Derby between 1987 and 1990 by BREL. These are dual -system trains with four cars, which can carry 289, 308 or 319 passengers. To the north of Farringdon they relate the electric current from an overhead line 25 kV AC, south of it from a power rail 750 V DC. From 2015, the British government will renew and expand the Thameslink fleet. But Siemens was awarded the contract together with the consortium Cross London Trains ( XLT ), consisting of Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, Innisfree Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc approximately 1,200 wagons Desiro City to deliver, such as the UK Department for Transport ( DfT ) on 26 June has given 2013 known. Previously, this had already been planned in 2011. Unsuccessful, the insistence of some local politicians and British rail unions of structural and regional policy considerations, was careful not to give the billion-dollar contract to the foreign best bidder, but the previous, but now only second-placed supplier Bombardier. As early as June 2013 had announced that Siemens should awarded the Department of Transportation.
On June 27, 2013 Siemens has received an order for the delivery of 1,140 cars. The value of this order is 1.8 billion euros. In addition, Siemens takes over the long term maintenance of the trains and builds for two new depots in Three Bridges and Hornsey on. Vehicles from 2014 are being built at the Siemens plant in Krefeld. The Desiro City Thameslink vehicles are operated as eight - and twelve -car trains in dual mode ( 750V DC or AC voltage 25kV ). The top speed is 160 kilometers per hour. Siemens - vehicle devices ( on-board units, OBU) for the European Train Control System (ETCS ) Level 2 put the communication between trains safely to the wayside equipment.