First Capital Connect (FCC) is a passenger train operating company in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that began operations on the
National RailNational Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
network on 1 April 2006. It is owned by First Group and combines the service on the cross-London
ThameslinkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
railway line between
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
and
BedfordBedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston...
with services along the
East Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
from King's Cross and
MoorgateMoorgate station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London, on Moorgate, north of London Wall. At one time the station was named "Moorgate Street"...
to
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. The Town Hall is north of London at Charing Cross...
,
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
, and
King's LynnKing's Lynn is a town and port in Norfolk, England. The town has been known variously as Bishop's Lynn and Lynn Regis, while it is frequently referred to by locals as simply Lynn, the Celtic word for lake....
formerly operated by WAGN, often referred to as
Great NorthernThe Great Northern Route is the name of the suburban services run on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line and associated branches. Services operate to or from King's Cross and Moorgate in London...
. First Group is in the process of overhauling the trains with new liveries and refreshed interiors as well as an
£The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
8 million programme of upgrades for several major stations. The full term of the franchise is for nine years until 2015, but this depends on meeting performance targets at the end of the fourth year, which will give an automatic two-year extension, and an extension for up to three years after the sixth year at the discretion of the DfT.
The
ThameslinkThameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name. Govia acquired the franchise from March 2, 1997 for seven years and a day...
and WAGN franchises were amalgamated in preparation for the
Thameslink ProgrammeThe Thameslink Programme, formerly known as Thameslink 2000, is a £5.5 billion major project to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network in southern England...
(formerly Thameslink 2000), which will increase capacity on the Thameslink route and allow trains from King's Lynn, Cambridge and Peterborough to run via Thameslink. On 24 July 2007 the Secretary of State for Transport,
Ruth KellyRuth Maria Kelly is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Bolton West since 1997, athough she will stand down as an MP at the next general election...
, formally announced that the Government was fully committed to funding the Thameslink Programme. Since the planning permission and legal powers associated with the project have already been granted, the project is now clear to proceed.
News
In the early part of 2007 FCC conducted a study and undertook consultation on options for increasing the capacity of services to Peterborough and Cambridge. The final recommendations involve lengthening four peak services from 8 to 12 carriages from May 2009, and adding or removing a small number of stops to balance loads between trains
.
1,779 more seats have been provided during the morning peak and 2,490 during the evening peak, significantly reducing the number of rush hour commuters unable to find a seat.
On 19 June 2008 FCC started testing a Class 377 Electrostar train in anticipation of the introduction of 23 x 4-car units on the Bedford to Brighton route in March the following year. The Electrostar train started non-passenger operation for driver training, signal testing, gauge clearance, platform staff training and validating on-board passenger information. Other technical on-board and track tests also took place. The trains are part of the £5.5 billion Thameslink improvement programme. The first 377 (a unit borrowed from Southern) came into service on 19th March 2009.
In 2008, First Capital Connect opened three new training facilities. The old Red Star parcels area in Bedford station was re-developed by Martin Gregory, IS Retail Manager and Richard Farish, Compliance Manager as part of their Leadership Horizons project, In Kentish Town, a derelict station building was converted into new training rooms to deliver induction, customer service and revenue protection training to new recruits. It will also offer management development programmes and safety specific training to First Capital Connect’s 2,150 staff. The centre will be able to run in-house BTEC & NVQ programmes.
In Hornsey, Sir Moir Lockhead, Chief Executive of FirstGroup officially opened the Performance and Training Academy, and Simulator Centre. First Capital Connect invested £1.2m in the Academy that will be used to teach the new drivers required for the Thameslink Programme and help support the company's existing team of approximately 700 drivers. The Simulator Centre includes a 319 train simulator replicating the train on the Bedford to Brighton route, and the second, a 365 train simulator as seen on the Great Northern route.
Current Routes
The current routes operated by First Capital Connect off-peak Monday to Friday are:
Thameslink
- Sevenoaks to Kentish Town (off-peak) or Bedford (peak only)– 2 trains per hour (tph) (jointly operated with Southeastern)
- Brighton to Bedford – 4 tph (Two Semi-Fast, Two Stopper)
- Wimbledon to Luton – 2 tph
- Sutton to St Albans – 2 tph
Giving a frequency of 10 tph between London Blackfriars and St Pancras Domestic. During the peaks this increases.
FCC has two control centres (or 'Service Delivery Centres' aka SDC) for the Thameslink route. Trains between Bedford & London Blackfriars are controlled by the control centre at
West HampsteadWest Hampstead is an area in northwestern Greater London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal, Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, Kilburn to the south-west, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village...
(based within the power
signal boxA signal box or signal cabin is a building from which railway signals and points are controlled. The term signal cabin is used in Ireland, parts of Scotland and in Australia while in North America, the term interlocking tower predominates.- History :Originally, all signalling was done by...
). FCC trains between Blackfriars & Brighton, Wimbledon & Sutton are controlled by the control centre at Croydon, which is also home to other southern region TOC controls.
From Kings Cross
- London King's Cross to Peterborough – 2 tph (one Semi-Fast, One Stopper)
- London King's Cross to Cambridge (Non Stop) – 2 tph (One extended to King's Lynn)
- London King's Cross to Cambridge – 2 tph (one Semi-Fast, One Stopper)
From Moorgate
- Moorgate to Hertford North via Gordon Hill – 3 tph (One extended to Letchworth Garden City)
- Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City – 3 tph
Unlike the Thameslink route, there is only one control centre for FCC services on the Great Northern route. This is situated at London King's Cross, within the power signal box.
Performance
Performance figures for FCC covering the four week period from 17 August to 13 September 2008 were the best performance figures in the franchise history. Public Performance Measurement (PPM) reached 93.94% which is the highest level achieved in the two-and-a-half years of the First Capital Connect franchise and for the previous eight years of operating. During this period, 1.39% of services were cancelled, beating the previous low of 1.72% obtained in March 2008.
The Moving Annual Average (MAA) now stands at 91.0% above the national average of 90.9%. PPM is often measured in this way as the year progresses to account for seasonality when reviewing trends.
Official figures released by the ORR (Office for Rail Regulation) for the first quarter of the financial year 2009-10 were 92.5% PPM, slightly down on last year .
Criticism
First Capital Connect has been criticised for running some of the country's most over-crowded trains; the 7:15am service from Cambridge to King's Cross frequently has 76 people standing for every 100 seated. This situation accepted by FCC itself: "We recognise that overcrowding is the biggest issue affecting our customers. This is at an unacceptable level on some of our services". From 27 May 2009, extra carriages mean that this will now become a 12-car train rather than an 8.
Since taking over the franchise, First Capital Connect have also faced criticism in a number of areas for apparently putting profits ahead of passengers. Regulated fares have continued to rise at above inflation. In January 2007, regulated fares increaed by an average of 3.5% and unregulated fares by 4.3%. In January 2008 both regulated and unregulated fares went up by an average of 4.8%. And most recently, in January 2009, fares rose by an average of 6% for regulated fares, and 9% for unregulated fares.
First Capital Connect is rare among the rail operators in introducing peak time evening travel for northbound travel from London. Previously passengers who purchased an off-peak travel card were able to travel on any train after the morning peak had finished at 09:30. Now passengers can no longer use an off-peak ticket for trains leaving London stations between 16:30 and 19:01. Passengers who want to use these peak service trains will need to pay an additional charge to travel. The evening peak does not affect southbound travel. This was introduced due to severe peak overcrowding. A full review of Evening Peak Restrictions is planned when First Capital Connect receives all of its additional rolling stock (probably end 2009).
Students at some sixth-form colleges were hit by price increases of over £300 per annum, when First Capital Connect replaced a discount scheme introduced by previous franchise holders WAGN and Thameslink, with its own 'Student Connect' scheme. The level of discount is greatly reduced, and although in theory the scheme is fairer, in practice many students and parents were left out of pocket.
As well the increase in charges for rail travel, passengers are facing an increase in charges in several other areas. Car parking charges, which are not regulated by the passenger watchdog, have seen rises significantly above the rate of inflation for the past few years. St Albans city station, has seen a rise in the daily parking charge from £4.20 in 2007 to £6.00 in 2009.
At a number of stations, First Capital Connect has replaced free to use cash machines, with machines that charge for withdrawals
http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=233&sMethod=ViewArchive&iForumId=7.
All stations in one day
On 25 September 2008 a team of four set out to visit all 105 First Capital Connect railway stations in less than 24 hours for charity.
Ben Huxley (Duty Leader), Lucy Dawson (Sales Assistant), Steve Everett (Revenue Control Officer), and Matt Streeton (Train Running Controller) started their journey on 25 September 2008 at boarding the 06:16 service via to . They then headed across to then to via . The team tackled the Thameslink (TL) route starting at St. Pancras International via the Wimbledon Loop, down to and up to , including services around the Wimbledon Loop in South London. The team then went to TL which has now closed to train traffic before arriving back at some 16 hours and 5 minutes later at 22:21 having completed the task.
They travelled through seven counties and covered .
Current fleet
| Class |
Image |
Type |
Top speed |
Number |
Routes operated |
Built |
| mph |
km/h |
Class 03The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399...
|
 |
diesel locomotive A Diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine. Several types have been developed, the principal distinction being in the means by which the prime mover's mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels .-Overview:Early internal combustion...
|
28 |
46 |
1 |
Shunting |
1957 - 1961 |
Class 313Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1975-77, these being the first second-generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail...
|
|
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
75 |
120 |
41 (9 more in near future) |
Inner suburban ECML The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
(Moorgate BranchThe Northern City Line is a railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London, once part of the Great Northern Electrics line. It should not be confused with the City branch of the Northern line, nor with the North London Line....
, Hertford Loop) |
1976 - 1977 |
Class 317The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had...
|
|
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
100 |
160 |
12 |
Fast & Semi Fast ECML The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
London to PeterboroughPeterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line 76.5 miles from London Kings Cross. It is a major interchange, as it benefits from having both the north-south ECML, as well as East-West local services. There is on site car parking, a...
& Kings Lynn via CambridgeCambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, in the southeast of the city....
|
1981 - 1983 |
Class 319The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
|
 |
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
100 |
160 |
86 |
ThameslinkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
(Brighton - Bedford|}Bedford railway station is the main railway station in the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St. Johns. The station is also...
, SuttonSutton railway station is in the London Borough of Sutton in south London. It is the main station for Sutton town. It is served by First Capital Connect and Southern trains. It is in Travelcard Zone 5....
- LutonLuton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect....
and Kentish TownKentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:Kentish Town is first recorded during the reign of King John as kentisston...
- SevenoaksSevenoaks is a commuter town situated in the west of Kent, England. It gives its name to the Sevenoaks district, of which it is the principal town...
|
1987 - 1990 |
Class 321The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-1990...
|
|
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
100 |
161 |
6 (4 more on the way) |
Fast & Semi Fast ECML The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
London to PeterboroughPeterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line 76.5 miles from London Kings Cross. It is a major interchange, as it benefits from having both the north-south ECML, as well as East-West local services. There is on site car parking, a...
|
1988-89 |
Class 365 Networker ExpressThe British Rail Class 365 "Networker Express" are dual-voltage electric multiple units built by ABB at York from 1994 to 1995. These were the last units to be built at York works before it closed...
|
 |
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
100 |
160 |
40 |
Fast & Semi Fast ECML The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh....
London to PeterboroughPeterborough railway station serves the city of Peterborough, England and lies on the East Coast Main Line 76.5 miles from London Kings Cross. It is a major interchange, as it benefits from having both the north-south ECML, as well as East-West local services. There is on site car parking, a...
& Kings Lynn via CambridgeCambridge railway station is a railway station serving the city of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located at the end of Station Road, off Hills Road, in the southeast of the city....
|
1995 |
Class 377/5 ElectrostarThe Class 377 Electrostars are electric multiple units built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 2001 to the present. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 375 and 376, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of Britain's...
|
_at_brighton.jpg) |
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
|
100 |
160 |
23 |
ThameslinkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
(BrightonBrighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It was built by the London & Brighton Railway in 1840, initially connecting Brighton to Shoreham-by-Sea, westwards along the coast, and shortly afterwards connecting it to...
- Bedford|}Bedford railway station is the main railway station in the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St. Johns. The station is also...
and peak services: Bedford|}Bedford railway station is the main railway station in the town of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is located on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to the East Midlands. It is also the terminus of the Marston Vale line from Bletchley through Bedford St. Johns. The station is also...
- Ashford InternationalAshford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
/GillinghamGillingham railway station can refer to two railway stations in England:*Gillingham railway station*Gillingham railway station...
) |
2008 - 2009 |
All Thameslink route rolling stock is
electrically poweredRailway electrification in Great Britain describes the past and present electrification systems used to supply traction current to railways and tramways in Great Britain with a chronological record of development, a list of lines using each system, and a history and a technical description of each...
dual-voltage four-car units using
25 kV ACThe AC, railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially on high-speed lines.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...
overhead power north of Farringdon and 750 V DC
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully...
to the south, operated as either four or eight car trains.
In addition to its EMU fleet FCC owns the sole surviving mainline-registered
Class 03The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399...
, 03179
Clive.
Future fleet
An additional four Class 319 trains were transferred from
SouthernSouthern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
in March 2009 to expand capacity on the Thameslink route, leaving FCC with all 86 of the 319's. The DfT has also ordered 23 new dual voltage
Class 377The Class 377 Electrostars are electric multiple units built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 2001 to the present. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 375 and 376, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of Britain's...
units for Southern, which will be used by FCC until the new Thameslink rolling stock is introduced, to further enhance capacity on the Thameslink services.. FCC have also gained six
Class 321The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-1990...
units (321401-406) (cascaded from
London MidlandLondon Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands Franchise since 11 November 2007....
) in May 2009, and are due an additional five 321s (321407-410) later on in 2009. These units will enhance the capacity on the Peterborough - London King's Cross services, thus allowing more
Class 365The British Rail Class 365 "Networker Express" are dual-voltage electric multiple units built by ABB at York from 1994 to 1995. These were the last units to be built at York works before it closed...
units to be available for the King's Lynn - Cambridge - London King's Cross services. Most
Class 313Class 313 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York Works from 1975-77, these being the first second-generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail...
units from
London OvergroundLondon Overground is a commuter rail service in London, UK, the brand applied by Transport for London to the services on four railway lines: the Watford DC Line, the North London Line, the West London Line and the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.The name has been used since 2007, when TfL took over...
will move to the Great Northern route for Inner Suburban services from London King's Cross/Moorgate - Welwyn Garden City/Hertford North/Letchworth Garden City once all of London Overground's new 378's are delivered.
Separate from the government's rolling stock plan is the procurement of new rolling stock for use on the expanded
ThameslinkThameslink is a fifty-station route in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel in Central London. It is an important commuter route and serves the airports at London Gatwick and London Luton...
route, which will replace the current units including the Thameslink routes
Class 319The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
units and 377/5's as well as the Great Northern's routes
Class 365The British Rail Class 365 "Networker Express" are dual-voltage electric multiple units built by ABB at York from 1994 to 1995. These were the last units to be built at York works before it closed...
. 1300
dual voltage EMUThe NXEMU's The NXEMU's The NXEMU's (or NeXt generation Electrical Multiple Units trains are expected to start coming into service in 2011 for First Capital Connect (FCC). The units for Crossrail are expected to be of a similar design as both will deal with commuters and local metro trips...
vehicles are planned, which are likely to be delivered in fixed formations operating in either 160m or 240m lengths. The new bid for trains is done on length rather than number of carriages to allow bidders to solve the problems of mass numbers of people leaving/boarding a train in under a minute. 160m is currely the length of an 8 car train and 240m an 12 car train. The new stock is due to enter service from late 2011, with the first being delivered for testing in spring 2011.
First Capital Connect has received the first six
Class 321The British Rail Class 321 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in three batches from 1988-1990...
from
London MidlandLondon Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands Franchise since 11 November 2007....
. 321401 and 403-4 have been repainted into First Capital Connect colours and have full 'First Urban' branding, as have 377502 and 377504 on the Thameslink route. A full internal refurbishment and deep clean has also been successfully been completed on the 321's.
Diagrams
Refurbishment
Under privatisation,
ThameslinkThameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name. Govia acquired the franchise from March 2, 1997 for seven years and a day...
went about refurbishing its units. The Class 319/1s were rebuilt by Railcare Wolverton into the Class 319/3s, which included removing First Class accommodation. These units are used on Thameslink CityMetro services from
LutonLuton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect....
/
St AlbansSt Albans railway station can refer to one of four stations:* Two railway stations in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom:**St Albans City railway station - Services operated by First Capital Connect...
to Wimbledon around the Sutton loop. These units are numbered 319361-319386.
The Class 319/0s it owned were rebuilt into Class 319/4s (with First Class accommodation added) for dedicated use on Thameslink Cityflier services from Bedford to Brighton, and were subsequently renumbered 319421-319460. Since then the fleet had undergone a minor refurbishment and
ThameslinkThameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name. Govia acquired the franchise from March 2, 1997 for seven years and a day...
also initiated a programme of technical improvements. FCC has continued the refurbishment initiated by
ThameslinkThameslink was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, run by Govia . It operated the London commuter railway line known by the same name. Govia acquired the franchise from March 2, 1997 for seven years and a day...
, although it has altered the cosmestic features to its specifications.
WAGN and Thameslink trains are being repainted into FCC livery, a light-blue-to-dark blue shading with pink doors and a striped motif. New blue upholstery, linoleum and carpeting have been fitted, and the onboard lavatories have been repainted.
External links
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