Rail passengers in the borough have waited nine long years for major proposals to significantly improve suburban rail services. MARCUS DYSCH reports on how their prayers may soon be answered

Passengers using the First Capital Connect service, previously known as Thameslink, which runs through Mill Hill, Hendon and Cricklewood, have waited nine years for work to begin on the Thameslink 2000 project, announced in November 1997.

After years of delays the Government last month granted Network Rail, the company which owns and operates Britain's railway infrastructure, the green light to seek funding for the scheme and bring relief to the thousands of people who rely on the service every day.

The £3.5 billion project has been held up since the late Nineties by two public inquiries and calls from Government inspectors for greater detail on specific aspects. Network Rail says these problems have now been ironed out and work will begin once funding for the scheme is secured. The company hopes an arrangement will be finalised at the start of next year to allow work to be completed before the 2012 Olympics.

First Capital Connect took control of Thameslink on April 1 this year, and the service through the borough's overground stations linking passengers with Luton and Bedford to the north of England, Brighton and Gatwick to the south, and a number of stations including King's Cross in central London.

Figures released by the Department of Transport in April showed demand for the service was 50 per cent greater than the number of seats available.

Stuart Buss, spokesman for Network Rail, said: "Cricklewood, Mill Hill and Hendon are three of the busiest stations in the service. In terms of people not being able to get on and off trains they are very busy. They will be among the first to feel the benefits."

The planned improvements will be vital in keeping the borough moving as the £4bn regeneration of Brent Cross and Cricklewood is set to bring tens of thousands of new residents to Barnet over the next two decades.

Capacity across the service will more than double once the work is completed. Platforms will be extended to take new 12-carriage trains, the number of peak-time trains is set to increase from eight an hour to 24 and the service will be linked to more than 170 stations, an increase from the current 51.

Mr Buss said: "Mill Hill will definitely have a 12-car platform. The extensions involve adding around 80 metres to the platform which means we have the capacity for much longer trains to stop there. People will be able to get on the train they want and get a seat once they are on there. The first platform extensions could be in place by the end of 2008 as they only take a few months to install."

Although the platforms could be ready within the next two years, Mr Buss said it was still too early to say when the longer trains would be put into service. But he assured passengers that the delays, which have held the project up so far, are now in the past and all work should be completed within the next five years.

"By the end of 2011 there will be 16 12-car trains running through the core route to London Bridge," he said. "The difference now is that the Government and secretaries of state believe this is the right plan and have ironed out the nooks.

"Our plan is to get the early funding decision and get everything finished by the end of 2011, therefore giving time to enable it to be a smooth service by the start of the Olympics.

"Network Rail has put this at the heart of our funding requests and has confidence in this being the right thing to do. The Government's vote of confidence backs up our plans."

Jack Welby, secretary of the Barnet Transport Users' Association, said the improvements would benefit people travelling from the three stations. He said: "It is a very good proposal, but the problem is the cost. We need faster trains and more trains stopping at Hendon and Mill Hill. We are pleased in respect of the improvements. Let's hope it does not turn out to be pie in the sky."

John Cartledge, of the transport users' watchdog London TravelWatch, said the project was valuable, but questioned the timetable drawn up by Network Rail. He said: "It is a scheme that has a range of benefits for different people. It has been a long haul so far. The benefits are no less real now; in fact they are greater than when it was first conceived. This is a major step forward.

"Given the pitfalls along the way in terms of planning and funding, I think it would be optimistic to bet too heavily on a completion date this side of the Olympics. If that could be achieved it would be excellent news. It would be nice to see it up and running by then, but we will have to wait and see whether it will happen."

West Hendon resident Martin West uses the service between Hendon and Farringdon every day. He said: "The improvements are good news for passengers, but they are long overdue. During rush-hour the trains get very busy.

"Generally they run on time but when there are delays they are usually much worse than underground delays. More regular services would be useful and would encourage people to make their journey by train."