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What is Thameslink for?


push and stand - a daily ritual for commuters on the thameslink
Originally uploaded by robinhamman

I wish the Department of Transport would decide what Thameslink is for.

The train service goes from Brighton to Bedford and takes about 2 1/2 hours from end to end. The busiest section is between Croydon and St Albans, where it runs through the centre of London. There, it is a suburban service much like the underground. The smaller number of passengers travelling longer distances have to put up with underground standards of comfort for journeys of inter-city duration, whilst the stock tends to have insufficient circulation and standing space for urban services. This leads to problems like the one in the picture.

The service also tends to transfer delays from the Brighton line to the Midland and vice versa. It woud surely be better to cut the service back so that it ran just within, roughly, the M25 at the most. South of London, services should commence at one of the southern terminals, probably London Bridge or Charing Cross, using long distance stock more suitable for the route to the coast.

Shouldn't this be sorted out before new stock is ordered?

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