Full Thameslink service finally begins on Woolwich line
It’s six months late but the full weekday Thameslink service finally commences today on the line through Abbey Wood, Woolwich, Charlton and Greenwich to St Pancras and north of London.
The introduction of services was a complete mess back in May. Plans for two trains per hour throughout the day were promptly cut back to one an hour off-peak. Now that changes to two in order to match peak time frequencies.
There’s still only one an hour on weekends though, so it could be a full year until the planned service level is fully met.
Kent links
One major benefit of two trains per hour is better links between Medway and south east London. When Thameslink begun in May, Southeastern services were cut back to Gravesend hampering links from Chatham and Rochester to south east London.
Another bonus of two trains per hour is a more reliable link to St Pancras for Eurostar trains to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels alongside trains to Nottingham, Sheffield plus services from adjacent King’s Cross, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cambridge and Leeds.
A more reliable link to major stations offering services far and wide is now available.
Fail to see how replacing a fast service calling only at key stations to a London terminal most people wanted, is worse than stopping service which calls at far too many minor stations, hopefully Thameslink will realise this cut out stations it’s beyond unreasonable for inner stations which already had 6tph to demand more trains at the cost of those who live well beyond the M25
I agree… from Gillingham upto Rochester, there are semi fast alternatives. Personally from Gillingham it should have mirrored the Semi – fast to London. Thameslink please fix this!! … Also, when are they going to introduce the maidstone service via St mary cray??
Next year allegedly in but it’s Thameslink so far they’ve sucked at everything, I Hope Thameslink is withdrawn in years to come and we get back our old fast service.