Commuters are preparing for more rail misery after another train company announced future delays.

Just weeks after the hugely criticised introduction of Southern’s new timetable, First Capital Connect (FCC) has announced it will launch its new Thameslink Programme on March 22.

But the company is already predicting delays after a train manufacturer failed to deliver its new trains on time.

The problems mean only three of the required 23 new four-carriage Electrostar trains will be ready when the programme rolls out.

FCC has been forced to borrow carriages from other train operators, including Southern and Southeastern, to overcome delivery failures at Derby-based train manufacturer Bombardier Transportation.

FCC provides services from Brighton to Bedford and stops at stations including London Bridge and Elephant and Castle.

The £5.5 billion programme is being introduced to reduce overcrowding on the Thameslink route from Bedford to Brighton.

Train bosses say it will provide more frequent, 50% longer, new 12-carriage trains and big improvements to Farringdon, Blackfriars and London Bridge stations.

When it is completed the programme will more than double capacity on the route across central London with trains running every two to three minutes.

FCC’s managing director Elaine Holt said: “Bombardier management’s failure to deliver on time new Electrostars for the Thameslink route is a massive blow for our customers.

“As well as making the Thameslink Programme timetable work, the new trains would have added brand new air-conditioned carriages to an ageing fleet.

“Our customers will now have to wait until the summer to see the full benefits of this new fleet of trains including the full capacity improvements.”

The train company said there was an increase in the risk of potential disruption because there will be fewer spare trains, only three instead of ten, than were originally planned to cover train failures and the loaned trains would be operating on unfamiliar infrastructure.

Ms Holt said FCC will pull in additional staff to work at stations and control rooms and has plans in place to deal with any problems.

She said: “We’ll be pulling out all the stops to do our absolute best to run a good service but the risk of potential disruption is greater because of the situation caused by this delay at Bombardier.”

Information about the new programme is available at www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk.

Will you be affected by the delays? Tell us at theargus.co.uk/news You can sign our online petition calling on Southern to improve its services here.

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