Thameslink

Facts

Running since

31 May 2026

London terminals

None: it runs through London, from St Pancras International to London Bridge

Type

Cross-London train operator

Depots

Three Bridges (Crawley), Hornsey (north London), stabling at Bedford, Cricklewood, Brighton, Horsham and Cambridge

Main routes

Through London between Bedford, Peterborough or Cambridge and Brighton, Horsham, Littlehampton or East Grinstead; between Luton or St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon or Rainham; and between Welwyn Garden City or Blackfriars and Sevenoaks.

Stations managed

236, for all of GTR (Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express)

Operator

Thameslink Southern Great Northern Ltd, owned by DfT Operator (public ownership since 31 May 2026). It runs Thameslink with Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express as the Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR).

Routes 10 routes · 143 stations

Fleet

History 15

1. May 1988British Rail's Network SouthEast starts the first Thameslink trains through London.
2. 2011The first phase of the Thameslink Programme, at Blackfriars and Farringdon, is finished on time and on budget.
3. 27 June 2013Siemens signs to build the new trains, a deal worth about £1.6 billion.
4. 14 September 2014Govia Thameslink Railway takes over from First Capital Connect.
5. 20 December 2014Thameslink trains stop calling at London Bridge while it's rebuilt.
6. 20 June 2016The first Class 700 carries passengers, from Brighton to London Bridge.
7. 27 August 2017The last Class 319s run on Thameslink; from September every train is a Class 700.
8. March 2018Preview trains from Cambridge and Peterborough start running through the new Canal Tunnels at St Pancras.
9. 17 March 2018A Class 700 runs through the core under automatic train operation with passengers, a first on a British main line.
10. 9 May 2018The rebuilt London Bridge station is officially opened.
11. 20 May 2018A new timetable brings the cross-London routes to Cambridge, Peterborough, Horsham and Rainham.
12. 1 April 2022A National Rail Contract replaces the franchise.
13. 16 May 2022Trains start running between Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks.
14. 31 May 2026Thameslink passes into public ownership with the rest of GTR.
15. 28 June 2026Trains start calling at the new Cambridge South station.

Sources 24

How we source figures →

• TOC key statistics: Govia Thameslink Railway, April 2025 to March 2026, Office of Rail and Road, 6 August 2026 (all of GTR: 1,149 route km, 236 stations managed, 316 million journeys, 2025–26)
• Table 6314: rolling stock vehicles by traction type and operator, Office of Rail and Road, 20 November 2025 (GTR's 2,531 electric and 47 diesel vehicles, March 2025)
• Transfer of Govia Thameslink Railway's services into public ownership, Department for Transport, 1 June 2026 (public ownership, TSGNL, all 115 Class 700s)
• Company information, Thameslink, 2026 (trading name, routes)
• GTR highlights improvements delivered during its first 100 days under public ownership, GTR, 11 September 2026 (the name Greater Thameslink Railway)
• Update on the Thameslink programme (summary), National Audit Office, 23 November 2017 (the Thameslink Programme: £5.5 billion of infrastructure, phases)
• Transport Secretary unveils state-of-the-art Thameslink train facility, Department for Transport, 15 October 2015 (Three Bridges depot opened 15 October 2015)
• Modernised depot to transform Great Northern rail services, Siemens, 13 December 2016 (Hornsey depot)
• Thameslink, Wikipedia (1988 origins (last resort))
• TfL Unified API: Line Route Sequence, Transport for London (Powered by TfL Open Data) (routes and station order)
• Siemens Thameslink deal to create up to 2,000 new jobs, Department for Transport, 27 June 2013 (history)
• Siemens to supply trains for Thameslink (press release), Siemens, 27 June 2013 (history)
• New rail franchising deal set to transform passenger services across London and the South East, Department for Transport, 23 May 2014 (history)
• Four weeks to go before cross-London Thameslink trains stop calling at London Bridge rail station, Network Rail, 25 November 2014 (history)
• Thameslink's new train enters passenger service, GTR, 24 June 2016 (history)
• Farewell to last of Thameslink's old train fleet, GTR, 31 August 2017 (history)
• New cutting-edge trains in full operation across Thameslink route, GTR, 18 September 2017 (history)
• GTR gives passengers taste of vastly expanded services, GTR, 8 March 2018 (history)
• World first for ATO on mainline railway, GTR, 20 March 2018 (history)
• Royal opening for London Bridge station, Network Rail, 9 May 2018 (history)
• GTR announces biggest-ever timetable shake-up in major advance for rail expansion, GTR, 24 April 2018 (history)
• National Rail Contract awarded for GTR, Go-Ahead Group, 25 March 2022 (history)
• New cross-London train route offers more seats and journey choices for Herts and northeast London commuters, GTR, 16 May 2022 (history)
• Britain's biggest train operator's services enter public ownership this weekend, Department for Transport, 28 May 2026 (history)

unverified route strips: some of TfL's route end points don't match Thameslink's published services; King's Cross routes (Great Northern), a Victoria to Sevenoaks pattern and a Peterborough to Balcombe pattern are left out, the first Thameslink trains in May 1988 (Wikipedia), whether the planned 24 trains an hour through the core has ever run (not confirmed, so not stated)