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Longer trains for commuters
One of the Class 365 trains that will be lengthened
SOON commuters will have a more comfortable ride to work thanks to station improvements.
The railway station platforms at Sandy, Bigglewade and Arlesey are being lengthened by Network Rail so that trains with 12 carriages can pick up passengers.
Work has just begun at Biggleswade station and the other two stations will be next. The longer trains, which will run during the rush hour, are expected to be in operation from December this year.
Roger Perkins, communications manager for First Capital Connect, said: “This is part of our plans to improve capacity on the Great Northern Line. We are committed to improving services on the route and we have been working hard to achieve that.
“We have already added over 12,000 extra seats to the route as a whole since taking over the franchise in 2006. These platform extensions and the extra train carriages will mean that from December it is our intention that we will be able to extend four rush hour trains.”
The trains currently have eight carriages but after the work has been finished 12 carriage long trains will be able to use the platforms.
The four additional carriages will provide an extra 271 first and second class seats for passengers. The type of train used on this line can be lengthened and shortened by blocks of four carriages at a time.
The intention is for the 6.32am service from Peterborough to Kings Cross to be lengthened, as will the 7.33am service. The 9.16am service, which runs after the morning rush hour, will also be longer but this one will not stop at Biggleswade or Arlesey, although it will pick up passengers at Sandy.
Eight of the extra carriages will come from the 6.40am train from Huntingdon to Kings Cross, which will be withdrawn.
Roger added: “We are focusing our trains on the busiest single hour. There wouldn’t be space in the timetable to run more trains so the only thing we can do is run longer trains.”
Coming out of London in the evenings the 5.44pm and the 6.14pm trains will also consist of 12 carriages.
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Weather for Biggleswade
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
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