On
Sunday 14 September First Capital Connect will become part of the new
Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise operated by GoVia.
Commenting,
Tim O'Toole, FirstGroup Chief Executive said:
“I
am tremendously proud that FirstGroup has operated the franchise for the past
eight and a half years, and of the many capacity increases and other
improvements we have delivered which have laid the foundations for better
services in the years to come.
“Since
2006 we have been a key partner in delivering the £6.5bn Thameslink Programme,
along with the Department for Transport, Network Rail and others. This is a
major investment that is already bringing benefits to passengers and is
transforming a key part of London’s transport network. Milestones achieved
include the first 12-carriage trains to operate on the route, the extension of
Blackfriars platforms across the Thames, redevelopment of King’s Cross and
Farringdon stations as well as further upgrades across the whole of the
network.
“Peak
capacity has been increased by 29% on the Thameslink route and more than 22% on
the Great Northern route with thousands of additional seats added. We have seen
passenger volumes rise by 37% to 118m in 2013/14 and I would like to thank our
First Capital Connect passengers for their patience and custom during this
time.
“I
am most proud of our employees at First Capital Connect for their dedication in
working tirelessly to deliver these improvements for our customers during a
period of great change on the network. We are supporting the new operator to
ensure a smooth transition for everyone as they prepare to take on these
crucial responsibilities for the capital and we wish employees, partners and
passengers of the new franchise every success for the future.”
FirstGroup has operated the First Capital
Connect franchise since April 2006 and during that time has:
- introduced 144 new vehicles onto the Thameslink route delivering an extra 14,500 seats at the busiest times of the day, a 29% increase, and doubled the number of cross-London rush hour trains from 7/8 per hour to 15 trains per hour between St. Pancras International and Blackfriars.
- introduced more than 12,500 extra seats at the busiest times of the day on Great Northern services, to increase peak time capacity by more than 22%.
- introduced station upgrades across the network including accessible lifts at 12 stations, whilst more than 25 stations now have brand new shelters and waiting rooms. Across the network there is now two and a half times more cycle parking space than in 2006.
- extended 20-25% discounted weekend fares to all journeys starting or finishing outside the London Travelcard zone.
- increased overall passenger satisfaction scores since the start of the franchise, including increased scores in the latest independent survey by Passenger Focus for areas including station upkeep and how well the company dealt with disruption.
- transformed communications with customers – including 24/7 Twitter service, free SMS and email feed alerts as well as a brand new website with mobile capability and real time feeds. More than £4m has been spent on better station information screens, software and website improvements.
- cut crime by 37% through £1m-a-year police funding and new CCTV and introduced 163 ticket gates at 21 stations for better security.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
First Capital Connect took over the Great Northern and
Thameslink routes in April 2006.
First Capital Connect (FCC) operates
trains from London to Bedford, Brighton, Wimbledon and Sutton on the Thameslink
route and Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn on the Great Northern route.
Approximately 180,000 people travel
with FCC every weekday – 95,000 on the Thameslink route and 85,000 on the Great
Northern route.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will
take over the operation of the franchise on 14 September.
Tickets, including season tickets,
bought before the changeover will remain valid and anyone who wishes to
continue to link their Nectar points with rail ticket purchases should visit
firstgroup.com/nectar.
For refunds on tickets bought before 14
September and delay-repay travel compensation or general questions for or about
travel made before 14 September, FCC will keep open its website until at least
19 October. For all other enquiries related to travel from 14 September,
passengers should visit thameslinkrailway.com or greatnorthernrail.com for more
information.
About FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc is the leading transport
operator in the UK and North America with revenues of more than £6.7 billion a
year. We employ approximately 117,000 employees and transport around 2.5
billion passengers a year. Our vision is to provide solutions for an increasingly congested
world… keeping people moving and communities prospering.
FirstGroup operates approximately a
quarter of the UK passenger rail network, with a balanced portfolio of
intercity, commuter, regional and sleeper services, carrying more than 330
million passengers a year.
We are the UK’s largest rail operator with four passenger franchises
– First Capital Connect, First Great Western, First ScotRail and First
TransPennine Express – and one open access operator, First Hull Trains.We operate the London Tramlink network on behalf of Transport for
London carrying more than 31 million passengers a year and the Heathrow Connect
service in partnership with Heathrow Airport.
For more information about FirstGroup
and our divisions please visit www.firstgroupplc.com