File photo dated 15/09/14 of commuters passing a Thameslink train as Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) which has been under fire for delays caused by strikes and staff shortages is planning the "biggest timetable shake-up" in a generation.
GTR which has been under fire for delays caused by strikes and staff shortages is planning the ‘biggest timetable shake-up’ in a generation (Picture: PA Archive)

More than four million trains will be rescheduled from today in the largest timetable shakeup for decades.

Many of the changes are a result of the £7 billion invested in the Thameslink programme in the South East, which include rebuilding London Bridge station, new trains and track improvements.

Departure times will change for every train run by the UK’s busiest franchise – Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – which consists of Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.

The new GTR timetable is designed to tackle existing issues by extending stop times at busier stations and increasing turnaround times at destination stations.

But some passengers, including in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Kent, East Sussex and Surrey, will find their regular journeys are no longer possible.

Emily Ketchin, founder of campaign group Harpenden Thameslink Commuters, claimed the operator is ‘slashing key Harpenden services by a third’.

GTR says it will have space for an extra 50,000 passengers travelling to London in the morning peak each day, and 80 more stations will have direct services to the centre of the capital.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 07: Passengers disembark a train at King's Cross station on November 7, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Passengers are to expect disruption to services from today (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Chief executive Charles Horton said: ‘We are introducing the biggest ever change to rail timetables to significantly boost capacity on the UK’s most congested network.’

But the new timetable arrangements were described as a ‘disgusting insult’ to disabled passengers by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

It said the latest instruction from GTR tells staff not to attempt to place people of reduced mobility on a train if there is a possibility of delaying the service.

A GTR spokesman insisted ‘we place a priority on making our services accessible to all’ but said it cannot hold trains when people arrive at a station without enough time to board.

Delays to electrification work between Manchester and Bolton in addition to a shortage of diesel rolling stock mean many of Northern’s planned improvements have been deferred.

Commuters make their way into London Bridge Underground and railway stations.
Billions of pounds of investment has been poured into rebuilding London Bridge (Picture: PA Archive/PA Images)

TransPennine Express (TPE) becomes the sole operator between Manchester and Huddersfield outside peak times, adding extra capacity but trains will only stop at every other station to save time.

Trains between Levenshulme and Heaton Chapel in Manchester will go from four trains per hour into Manchester down to three in the off peak, with a gap between services of up to 49 minutes.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘Having plenty of staff on the ground from the start and during the initial transition, when changes bed down, will be critical.’

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