Site Works Begin for £3.5bn Thameslink Upgrade
This could be excellent news for LTN as it means that MidlandMainline (or whatever it'll be called under the new franchisee) will be able to use Parkway with its HST sets serving Sheffield and occasionally, Leeds out of St. Pancras. In fact, it could mean that the Town station (incorrectly called "Central" - the Great Central never served Luton...) in Luton might end up being the secondary station on the network that it now looks like.
The Thameslink 2000 Project also has through trains linking Guildford with Cambridge via St Pancras (Thameslink platforms) and other through trains from Littlehampton via Horsham & Dorking to either Bedford or Cambridge. However, there are capacity issues to be overcome across the two-track Hatfield Viaduct on the ECML.
All this means that LTN's catchment area for those wishing to let the train take the strain will be significantly increased to the extent that they'll almost rival the rail connections available from LGW, for example.
