First Capital Connect
| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | Thameslink Great Northern 1 Apr 2006 – 13 Sep 2014 | ||||
| Main region(s) | East of England, London, South East England | ||||
| Stations called at | approx. 129 | ||||
| Stations operated | 77 | ||||
| Route km operated | 778.9 | ||||
| National Rail abbreviation | FC | ||||
| Parent company | FirstGroup | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
| |||||
First Capital Connect was a train company in England. It ran the Thameslink railway line between Brighton and Bedford and it ran services along the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross and Peterborough, Cambridge, and King's Lynn from 1 April 2006 to 13 September 2014.
It was owned by First Group.
On 14 September 2014, the franchise was taken over by Govia Thameslink Railway, and it became part of the larger Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise.
Rolling stock
First Capital Connect took on a fleet of Class 319 units from Thameslink. It also took on a fleet of Class 313, 317 and 365 units from WAGN on the Great Northern routes.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 03 | Diesel Locomotive | 28 | 46 | 1 | Shunting | 1957–1961 | |
| Class 313 | EMU | 75 | 120 | 44 | Inner suburban Great Northern (Moorgate - Letchworth Garden City/Hertford North/Welwyn Garden City) |
1976–1977 | |
| Class 317/1 | 100 | 160 | 12 | Fast & Semi Fast Great Northern London King's Cross to Peterborough & Cambridge |
1981–1982 | ||
| Class 317/7 | 2 | Used to provide cover for Class 365 units undergoing refurbishment. Withdrawn at end of franchise. | |||||
| Class 319 | 84 | Thameslink (Brighton - Bedford, Sutton - Luton and Kentish Town - Sevenoaks) |
1987–1988 1990 | ||||
| Class 321 | 13 | Fast & Semi Fast Great Northern London King's Cross to Peterborough & Cambridge |
1989–1990 | ||||
| Class 365 Networker Express | 40 | Fast & Semi Fast Great Northern London King's Cross to Peterborough & King's Lynn via Cambridge |
1994–1995 | ||||
| Class 377/2 Electrostar | 11 | Thameslink (Brighton - Bedford and peak services: Bedford - Ashford International/Rochester) Class 377/2s sub-leased from Southern. |
2003–2004 | ||||
| Class 377/5 Electrostar | 23 | 2008–2009 | |||||
Depots
First Capital Connect operated two depots:
- Bedford Cauldwell - code BF
- Hornsey - code HE
References
Other websites
Media related to First Capital Connect at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Thameslink Thameslink franchise |
Operator of Thameslink and Great Northern franchise 2006 – 2014 |
Succeeded by Govia Thameslink Railway Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise |
| Preceded by West Anglia Great Northern West Anglia Great Northern franchise |