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First Capital Connect
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Franchise(s): | Thameslink/Great Northern 1 April 2006 – 2015 |
| Main station(s): | Bedford, Luton, Peterborough, Kings Lynn, Cambridge, Kings Cross, Brighton, Moorgate |
| Other station(s): | Luton Airport, Blackfriars, London Bridge, Gatwick Airport, Stevenage, Wimbledon, Sutton, West Hampstead, Finsbury Park, Ely |
| Fleet size: | 41 Class 313 sets 12 Class 317 sets 68 Class 319 sets 40 Class 365 Networker Express sets |
| Stations: | approx. 90 |
| Parent company: | First Group |
| Web site: | www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk |
First Capital Connect is a train operating company in England that began its passenger operations on the National Rail network at 02:00 BST 1 April 2006. It is owned by First Group and combines the service on the cross-London Thameslink railway line with the services along the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross and Moorgate to Peterborough, Cambridge, and King's Lynn formerly operated by wagn, often referred to as Great Northern. First Group plans to overhaul the trains with new liveries and on-board services as well as an £8 million programme of upgrades for several major stations.[1]
The two franchises (Thameslink and wagn) were amalgamated in preparation for the Thameslink Programme (formerly Thameslink 2000), which will increase capacity on the Thameslink route and allow trains from King's Lynn, Cambridge and Peterborough to run via Thameslink. As of 10 November 2006 funding for this project had not been confirmed, although Network Rail has been given the planning permission and legal powers required to carry the project out when funding becomes available.[2]
The current Managing Director is Elaine Holt. Other directors include Andy Cope (Engineering), Hugh Clancy (Commercial), Karen Boswell (Customer Services), Belén McWilliam (Projects), Mohammed Saeed (Human Resources), Chris Cornthwaite (Finance) and Nigel Holness (Operations and Safety).
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On 11 June 2006, First Capital Connect caused consternation among commuters by restricting off-peak travel in the evenings for some journeys[3][4]. Commuters who for many years have used the off-peak service suddenly found they could not get home at their usual evening time without paying an additional fare. This "congestion charge" is attracting protest, the argument being that it unfairly penalises a subset of existing customers for congestion caused by all of them. In addition, FCC will apply these restrictions to delayed trains that were scheduled during the restricted hours[4]. This means that any delay occurring to trains in the restricted evening hours (between 1630 and 1900) could delay the start of the off-peak time by an equivalent amount, meaning off-peak ticket holders may need to wait for up anything to 2.5 additional hours before they are allowed to travel, even though trains are running regularly through the station.
However, following criticism of the changes[3], on 10 July 2006 FCC announced that the restrictions would no longer apply to the following stations: Radlett, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Welham Green, Brookmans Park, Potters Bar, Watton at Stone, Hertford North, Bayford and Cuffley[5].
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 313 |  |
electric multiple unit | 75 | 120 | 41 | Inner suburban ECML (Moorgate, Hertford Loop) | 1976 - 1977 |
| Class 317 |  |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 12 | Fast ECML (Kings Cross - Cambridge) | 1981 - 1982 |
| Class 319 |  |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 68 | Thameslink Brighton - Bedford , Sutton - Luton | 1987 - 1988 1990 - 1991 |
| Class 365 Networker Express |  |
electric multiple unit | 100 | 160 | 40 | Fast ECML | 1995 - 1995 |
- ^ RailStaff (2006-04-06). First Capital Connect links London. Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
- ^ Network Rail (2006-10-18). THE £3.5BN THAMESLINK PROJECT CLEARS MAJOR HURDLE. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
- ^ a b BBC News (2006-06-06). New curb on cheap day rail travel. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
- ^ a b First Capital Connect (2006-06-11). Ticket changes (PDF) 2. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
- ^ First Capital Connect (2006-07-10). Changes to Evening Peak Restrictions. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
- First Capital Connect official web site
- BBC News article on Takeover
- Network Rail's Thameslink Programme
| Preceded by Thameslink Govia ---- wagn Prism Rail |
Operator of Thameslink/Great Northern franchise 2006-present |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Domestic: | Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains1 - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central2 - GNER - Heathrow Connect Hull Trains - Island Line3 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline1 - Northern Rail Northern Ireland Railways4 - 'one' - Silverlink1 - Southeastern - Southern South West Trains - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains (VWC - VXC1) |
|---|---|
| International: | Enterprise4 - Eurostar |
| Airport Link: | Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express5 |
| Sleeper: | Caledonian Sleeper6 - Night Riviera7 |
| 1 Ends November 2007 - 2 Starts 20 May 2007 - 3 Operated by South West Trains 4 Operated on the Irish railway network - 5 Operated by 'one' - 6 Operated by First ScotRail 7 Operated by First Great Western |
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| Future passenger train operators and franchises in Great Britain | |
|---|---|
| New Franchises: | Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - InterCity East Coast - London Overground1 West Midlands1 |
| Proposed open-access operators: |
Glasgow Trains2 - Grand Union2 - Humber & City2 - Wrexham & Shropshire3 |
| 1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Proposed - 3 Awaiting Approval | |