Thameslink and WAGN handed over its rail services to First Capital Connect, last month. JANAKI MAHADEVAN looks at what changes this will mean for passengers travelling on the crucial commuter service.

"We will basically be delivering what the customers want a punctual, reliable, clean and safe service," said Elaine Holt, managing director of First Capital Connect (FCC), the company that took over the Thameslink and WAGN lines on April 1.

To long-suffering commuters, Ms Holt's words will be welcomed but probably treated with suspicion.

Yet in the past month, passengers may have noticed that some of the old Thameslink and WAGN carriages have been thoroughly cleaned, with new FCC logos replacing those of the two former train companies.

First Group, the company that owns FCC, was among five companies shortlisted to bid for the franchise. As well as the Bedford to Brighton route, FCC has also taken over the former WAGN service from King's Cross to Peterborough and King's Lynn.

Thameslink did not make the shortlist of bidders.

The fact that two formerly identifiable lines now have the same name has been criticised by passengers' group London TravelWatch for being unnecessarily confusing, but FCC defended the move.

An FCC spokesman said: "It describes what the services do i.e. connect the capital. The different parts of the route will still be referred to as the Thameslink route and the Great Northern route, when distinguishing services on one side or the other. We are also keeping station names such as King's Cross Thameslink, City Thameslink and West Hampstead Thameslink."

Before losing the franchise, Thameslink had set up the Thameslink 2000 initiative which included plans to expand the network, reduce overcrowding and increase the frequency of services.

A spokesman added: "The Thameslink 2000 project is a Network Rail project it is a bit of a misnomer to call it Thameslink. The project is now just called the Thameslink Project'. As far as I am aware, it is still to go ahead, although it has not been decided when, and funding still has to be finalised. It is not envisaged that work will start on the project for many years yet.

"We have appointed a project manager to liaise with all concerned to ensure that the project is managed on behalf of First Capital Connect and its customers."

However, the programme was already years behind schedule and serious concerns over the designs of new station buildings caused works to be halted and put under review.

The Go-Ahead group, which owned Thameslink, was also hit by a large drop in profits the company believed was due, partly, to the fact that the July 7 London suicide bombers had used the Thameslink service from Luton to King's Cross.

To add to the company's woes, the rail service came under severe criticism after an early morning commuter service was named second in a list of the most overcrowded train services.

Figures released by the Department of Transport last month, showed demand for Thameslink's service was 50 per cent greater than the number of seats available.

John Cartledge, spokesman for London TravelWatch, said: "The main issue is the problem of overcrowding at peak times. There simply aren't enough trains to match the number of customers."

FCC's plans to ease overcrowding by adding an extra carriage to trains running at peak times, are currently under discussion. But in order to get the trains and carriages for this venture, they need to be released by another company, as only certain carriages and trains can run on the tracks.

Ms Holt said: "We will be spending £52 million over the next three years and investing in stations, trains and technologies, so customers can access information easily. Changes to the service, such as combating overcrowding and updating trains will take time. Hopefully, over the next three years, customers will see a gradual, but significant, change."

With such a large investment, fares will inevitably rise. On the issue of ticket prices, Ms Holt said: "Due to strict regulations, customers won't see a huge rise in fares, but we will have to raise them over time."

Ms Holt also stressed that the company would be making sure that everyone pays the correct fare, by enforcing the penalties already in place for fare evaders.

In 2004, customers of the Thameslink service had to endure 35 weeks of delays, diversions and station closures, principally to allow a Eurostar connection to be developed at King's Cross. FCC will continue to invest in the new St Pancras Thameslink station connection. Eventually, the current King's Cross Thameslink will be phased out when the project is due for completion in December 2007.

The Government will also have to play a huge role in improving services running to and from London, and help to fund facilities such as better disabled access. Passenger numbers are increasing at a rapid rate and to tackle this, ministers have proposed a number of schemes, such as high-speed trains and double-decker carriages, to combat overcrowding.

Mr Cartledge said: "We are not making excuses for Thameslink, but a large amount of the delays and disruptions have been to do with the larger infrastructure of rail services. So it will not just be up to First Group to make changes, Network Rail must also get on top of these external problems."

Passengers will certainly be looking to FCC to keep its promises and improve the service's somewhat tarnished reputation.