Entries Tagged 'FCC and Thameslink news' ↓

It has been reported by the Welwyn Hatfield Times that FCC has launched a cash-back promotion on season tickets on its Great Northern route.However, there is no information about this on the official FCC website.

Update 13/01/11: Information can now be found on the First Capital Connect website about this offer, hidden away on the ‘Spotlight on Seats‘ section. According to the website, this offer has been launched to ‘celebrate’ additional seating now available on the Great Northern Route.

But, there is always a catch. Apparently this offer is open to ‘new customer only’ and to those who have not bought a season ticket in the last six months. This seems very unfair to all the existing customers who have put up with cramped conditions over the years. Continue reading →

First Capital Connect gave us a new year’s gift that we could all do without – a rise in ticket prices of up to 46%. It is still unclear how much all ticket prices across the network will rise, but some price rises have been reported in the media as shown below. According to Campaign for Better Transport fares are set to go up by 25% over the next four years – that’s £1,300 more for some season tickets. You can join their campaign for fair fares at www.bettertransport.org.uk/fairfares/.

It appears that the First Capital Connect official Facebook page mentioned in my last post is on a downward spiral (much like its actual train service) towards complete closure.

Visitors to the page since yesterday, 21st July 2010, have been greeted with this message (left):  “First Capital Connect has no more posts.”

This was certainly not the case just 24 hours before, when the page was filled with more than six months’ worth of messages from angry passengers asking – and getting answers to – their questions about FCC’s operations and failings. Continue reading →

First Capital Connect is facing growing pressure from consumers and politicians which has led to Lord Adonis – Secretary of State for Transport, stating that he would not rule out stripping FCC of the Thameslink franchise unless urgent improvements were made.  For more information read this BBC article.

Continue reading →

In addition to the amended timetable, the following trains will be running / canceled today – lucky us!

Thameslink route

Northbound
- 09:37 Sutton – Kentish Town
- 16:18 Elephant & Castle – Bedford (calls at Farringdon at 16:27)
- 16:04 Brighton – London Bridge
- 17:58 Elephant & Castle – Luton (calls at Farringdon at 18:07)
- 18:18 Herne Hill – Bedford (calls at Farringdon at 18:37)

Southbound
- 08:06 St Albans – Sutton
- 08:54 Luton – Elephant & Castle
- 17:11 London Bridge – Brighton

Great Northern route

Northbound
1312 Moorgate to Hertford North terminates at Alexandra Palace
1332 Moorgate to Hertford North cancelled
1442 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
1552 Moorgate to Stevenage cancelled
1638 Moorgate to Hertford North cancelled
1757 Kings Cross to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
1808 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
1823 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
1937 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
2007 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City starts at Alexandra Palace
2152 Moorgate to Hertford North cancelled
2241 Kings Cross to Welwyn Garden City cancelled
0106 Kings Cross to Letchworth (Saturday morning) cancelled

Southbound
1232 Hertford North to Moorgate terminates at Alexandra Palace
1343 Welwyn Garden City to Moorgate cancelled
1452 Hertford North to Moorgate cancelled
1544 Welwyn Garden City to Moorgate cancelled
1620 Letchworth Garden City to Moorgate due 1726 will no longer call at:  Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Stevenage and Watton-At-Stone.
1659 Stevenage to Moorgate cancelled
1736 Hertford North to Moorgate cancelled
2058 Welwyn Garden City to Moorgate cancelled
2310 Hertford North to Kings Cross cancelled
2318 Letchworth to Kings Cross cancelled
0516 Royston to Kings (Saturday morning) cancelled

FCC announced yesterday that Thameslink route customers can expect more reliable trains now that they have restarted a traction control reliability programme for its 20-year-old class 319 trains.

As per usual, FCC are quick to find blame elsewhere, and claim that the “late arrival of newly-built Electrostar trains, being introduced as part of the Thameslink Programme, had forced FCC to put the work on hold but enough are now in service on the Brighton to Bedford route for it to resume.”
> Continue reading →

Evening.

First Capital Connect have launched a new Twitter service where you can receive custom messages about your specific journey.

Here’s how it works – from the FCC website;

Send our Twitter account, FirstCC, a direct message listing your stations and times. The direct message should look something like this (using commas to separate stations and times, and stating times in 24-hour format):

kings cross, cambridge, 0800, 1800

We’ll receive your stations and times and store them in our database. Then, when major incidents occur on your route within an hour either side of your times, you’ll receive a direct message sent to your Twitter account straight away.

Continue reading →