ADDITIONAL drivers have been recruited to drive First Capital Connect (FCC) trains on the Thameslink line – but they will not be fully trained until next Spring. With passengers from Monday to Friday still experiencing a reduced timetable in the wake of r

ADDITIONAL drivers have been recruited to drive First Capital Connect (FCC) trains on the Thameslink line - but they will not be fully trained until next Spring.

With passengers from Monday to Friday still experiencing a reduced timetable in the wake of refusal by drivers to work overtime and on rest days, FCC says it has recruited 20 more drivers whose training will not finish until the Spring.

But even though ASLEF is balloting its members on an industrial dispute over the row about pay increases, FCC says it is hopeful of an early resolution.

FCC has also agreed to pay compensation if a train is delayed by 30 minutes or more in line with the old timetable and not the new one.

St Albans MP, Anne Main, who wants the Transport Secretary to meet urgently with FCC to discuss whether they are in breach of their franchise, said today: "FCC has written to me because I challenged them about compensation and they have agreed to compensate based on trains which should have arrived under the old timetable."

Currently passengers on the Thameslink line can use first class carriages which have been declassified and their tickets will be accepted on other rail routes and London buses and underground.