Written question asked by Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 2 October 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 16 October 2019. It was answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Thameslink Line: Maidstone

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the planned Thameslink service from Maidstone East to central London and on to Cambridge is due to commence; and how frequently that service will run.

Answer: In September, the industry confirmed that it is not able to deliver the planned new Thameslink service from Maidstone East in December 2019. Following the timetable change in May last year, passengers suffered as the industry introduced new services that it was not ready to deliver. Since then, new processes have been introduced within the industry to ensure that timetable changes are deliverable. The industry has concluded that adding these services onto an already busy and complex railway network in December presents a real risk of delay and disruption to thousands of passengers that rely on existing services. Whilst is the right decision, in this context, to delay the introduction, the Department is committed to ensuring that the rail industry delivers a reliable all-day Thameslink service from Maidstone East to London as soon as possible.

Secondary information