Moves to give Sussex rail users easier links to the rest of the country and boost the regional economy are back on track.
The long-running public inquiry into the full implementation of the Thameslink 2000 rail scheme, centred around multi-million pound engineering and building work near Blackfriars and London Bridge rail stations, will reopen in September.
Mark Miller, chairman of Thameslink 2000, the pressure group supported by local authorities and rail companies, said: "The scheme will be a huge boost for rail users in the South-Eastandeast ofEngland."
A start date for construction is dependent on the outcome of the inquiry and securing funding.
Providing planning permission is given, work on building new lines and bridges south and north of the Thames will start in 2007, with completion scheduled for 2012. That will enable faster journeys between Brighton, St Albans, Bedford, the north and east of England.
It is estimated the total cost of the scheme will be in the region of £3 billion.
April 14, 2005
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