Anne Main: Thameslink delayed by another year?

Anne Main has called for a statement from Transport Ministers after a speech which appears to show that the Thameslink project may have now been delayed by an extra year.

Anne Main, MP for St Albans, has called for a statement from Transport Ministers after a speech by Chris Mole, Under Secretary of State for Transport in the House of Commons, which appears to show that the Thameslink project may have now been delayed by an extra year, and may not be completed until 2016.

Key output 2, which provides the full functionality of the Thameslink programme, with 24 trains per hour through central London by resignalling and reconstruction of London Bridge station, had previously been scheduled to be completed in 2015, but in a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the Minister suggested this will not now be completed until December 2016.

Anne said:

“We know only too well how much we need improvements on the Thameslink route, and now the Thameslink project has apparently been pushed back another year, and the only announcement we got was a couple of lines in a debate. This project was originally proposed in 1991 and known as Thameslink 2000 because that was when it was due to be completed. It is high time we saw some results.

During yesterday’s Business Questions I made a formal plea to the Leader of the House to call Rail Ministers back to Parliament to give us a statement on this delay. It is not good enough for the Minister to just try and slip it into a debate, and not give us time for proper Parliamentary scrutiny. I know that passengers will be as keen as I am to try to get answers on another year’s delay.”