The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that the Thameslink Programme will go ahead in full.

The Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Philip Hammond, said: "Over the next four years, we will provide £14 billion of funding to Network Rail to support capital maintenance and infrastructure investment; and £750 million for high speed rail. We will also fund the Crossrail project, the Tube upgrade programme, light rail projects in Birmingham, Tyneside, Nottingham and Sheffield; and provide additional funding to franchisees for extra rolling stock.

"I can confirm we will fund and deliver the Thameslink programme in its entirety, virtually doubling the number of north-south trains running through central London at peak times. But the original programme for the rebuilding of London Bridge was always ambitious, with substantial risks around delivery, and operation of existing services, during construction. To reduce these risks, we have re-profiled the delivery of the programme to achieve completion in 2018. This will enable Network Rail to make further efficiencies to their design and delivery programme."

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Responding to the announcement, Neal Lawson, Managing Director at First Capital Connect said: "The Thameslink Programme is critical to addressing overcrowding on our Thameslink and Great Northern routes. It has delivered new trains, almost 5,000 seats and we will have the first 50% longer 12-carriage trains from December next year. A few months later we will open a fantastic new station at Blackfriars and new ticket hall at Farringdon.

"The vital third and final stage of the programme will also go ahead, introducing a brand new fleet of replacement trains on the Thameslink route that will allow us to run a comprehensive 12-carriage service. The reconstruction of London Bridge station and unravelling of the complex track layout in that vicinity will unblock one of our worst bottlenecks on the rail network.

"By finally linking the Great Northern route into the Thameslink route with further new trains through a tunnel at St Pancras International there will be still more capacity gains and direct travel across the centre of London. Eventually, with the help of automatic train operation, we will have trains running at metro-like frequencies across the centre of London, every two to three minutes, offering significant relief to the Northern line of the London Underground."

(CD/GK)