Why did Thameslink terminate at Finsbury Park on Monday 21st April?

[rmHawk765]

I was travelling this day and noticed that all TL services from Brighton that would normally continue to Cambridge were curtailed to Finsbury Park, therefore no TL services were running to/from KGX either. There appeared to be some sort of possession around Cambridge but GN services were running to it as normal. Why did they decide to do this?

Not sure this is the right forum for this, I'm fine with it getting moved to a more appropriate one.

 

[JonathanH]

Cambridge was shut to the north so needed to accommodate the entire service from the south including layovers in the remaining platforms. Something has to give.

A look at RTT shows trains terminating in platforms 1, 3, 7 and 8, with 2 used as spare - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...25-04-21/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

 

[rmHawk765]

Cambridge was shut to the north so needed to accommodate the entire service from the south including layovers in the remaining platforms. Something has to give.

A look at RTT shows trains terminating in platforms 1, 3, 7 and 8, with 2 used as spare - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...25-04-21/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

Ah ok, I was thinking that it was partially closed and there wasn't enough capacity. But why were they not running to PBO then?

 

[galwhv69]

Ah ok, I was thinking that it was partially closed and there wasn't enough capacity. But why were they not running to PBO then?

Thameslink services to/from Peterborough are 9J** services which run to/from Horsham, not Brighton. These were running on Monday.

 

[JonathanH]

Ah ok, I was thinking that it was partially closed and there wasn't enough capacity. But why were they not running to PBO then?

Well yes, there was only capacity at Cambridge for three trains an hour from each route (via Royston and Audley End).

It could be asked why they weren't running to Letchworth, but Peterborough is not on the Cambridge to Brighton route, and the Horsham train ran there half hourly as normal. The stops at Stevenage, Hitchin and on the branch were picked up be the services to Kings Cross.

Because the lines out of Kings Cross are paired by direction, it is difficult to terminate at anywhere other than Finsbury Park (reversing at Bowes Park) before Letchworth, and some of the King's Cross trains were terminating there.

There is also the matter of driver route knowledge to take into account.

 

[Magdalia]

Another factor is traincrew. Various Brighton trains are booked for Cambridge traincrew, and it is difficult to run trains with Cambridge traincrew if their start and end of shift journeys are not from and to Cambridge.

Yet another factor is that the engineering work also prevented trains being moved on and off the carriage sidings at Cambridge, so the 12 car class 700/1s for the Brighton service would have had to be stabled elsewhere.

 

[rmHawk765]

Thameslink services to/from Peterborough are 9J** services which run to/from Horsham, not Brighton. These were running on Monday.

Apologies, yes, I have no idea why I mixed up Brighton for Horsham. To all others here: I am not asking why they didn't divert them to PBO.