Thameslink

First Capital Connect: There are no cross-London 'Thameslink' services today.

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

Farringdon Station is particularly attractive in that it already serves Thameslink, the only direct mainline railway connection between regions to the north and south of London.

Rail Work Puts London on Track for Property Gains Anita Likus 2012

The layoffs follow the U.K. government's decision last month to award a £1.4 billion $2.3 billion contract to build and maintain 1,200 train carriages for London's Thameslink commuter-rail service to a consortium led by Siemens.

Bombardier to Lay Off U.K. Workers Caroline Van Hasselt 2011

"The loss of the Thameslink contract was a body blow for the company and if no new work is found by 2014, there is not likely to be any rail manufacturing in the U.K.," Mark Young , regional coordinating officer of the Unite trade union, which represents many workers at the Derby plant, said by email.

Bombardier to Lay Off U.K. Workers Caroline Van Hasselt 2011

There is a perception that other EU countries appear to manage their public procurement processes with a sharper focus on domestic supply than we have hitherto, says the letter, in a veiled reference to the impact on workers at Bombardier in Derby after a Thameslink train deal went to Germany and not to their factory.

Vince Cable voices concern over Bombardier in letter to PM 2011

However, it is committed to several large projects over that period, including the £16bn Crossrail programme, electrification of the Great Western line and a revamp of the London Thameslink route.

Rail companies face tough negotiations on five-year spending plan 2011

When more than 1,400 workers at Bombardier's train factory in Derby were given their marching orders earlier this month after missing out on the £3bn Thameslink contract, everyone expressed regret, including transport secretary Philip Hammond.

True economic impact of Bombardier cuts is being missed 2011

Vince Cable, above, and Philip Hammond wrote to David Cameron in the wake of the controversial Thameslink train deal.

Vince Cable voices concern over Bombardier in letter to PM 2011

Bombardier, which lost a crucial Thameslink contract, is set to lose 1,400 staff at its Derby plant, which has compounded already low consumer confidence and spending ability outside of the bubble of the south.

Business confidence at its lowest for two years 2011

In Britain, politicians and trade unions reacted similarly strongly after the government, following an EU-monitored procurement process, gave the Thameslink trains contract to Siemens instead of Bombardier, a Canadian company that employs 3,000 people in Derby at the last remaining train factory in Britain.

Vince Cable voices concern over Bombardier in letter to PM 2011