The Widened Lines is a double-track railway line forming part of the Thameslink route between St Pancras and Farringdon within Central London.
South-east view from Farringdon station with the tracks of the London Underground on the left (Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines) and the Widened Lines used by Thameslink on the right
Looking southwards through Clerkenwell No3 tunnel towards Farringdon from King's Cross Thameslink station
The Ray Street Gridiron carries the London Underground tracks over the Widened Lines
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from Bedford, Luton, St Albans City, Peterborough, Welwyn Garden City, London Blackfriars and Cambridge via central London to Sutton, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Rainham, Horsham, Three Bridges, Brighton and East Grinstead. The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than 28,000 passengers in the morning peak. All the services are currently operated by Govia Thameslink Railway. Parts of the network, from Bedford to Three Bridges, run 24 hours a day, except on early Sunday mornings and during maintenance periods.
St Pancras International Thameslink platforms opened in 2007
Blackfriars new cross-river platforms
Class 700 trains replaced all of the existing fleet in 2018
Interior of the new Thameslink Class 700 trains
