| abstract | - First Capital Connect (FCC) is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006. It is owned by FirstGroup and combines the service on the cross-London Thameslink railway line between Brighton and Bedford with services along the East Coast Main Line from King's Cross and Moorgate to Peterborough, Cambridge, and King's Lynn formerly operated by WAGN, which is now often referred to as the Great Northern Route. First Capital Connect is in the process of overhauling their fleet of trains, painting them in the FCC livery and refreshing the interiors, as well as an £8 million programme of upgrades for several major stations. The full term of the franchise is for nine years, finishing in 2015, however, this depends on them meeting performance targets at the end of the fourth year, which will give an automatic two-year extension, and an extension for up to three years after the sixth year at the discretion of the DfT. The Thameslink and WAGN franchises were amalgamated in preparation for the Thameslink Programme (formerly Thameslink 2000), which will increase capacity on the Thameslink route and allow trains from King's Lynn, Cambridge and Peterborough to run via the Thameslink route.[citation needed] On 24 July 2007 the Secretary of State for Transport, Ruth Kelly, formally announced that the Government was fully committed to funding the Thameslink Programme. Since the planning permission and legal powers associated with the project have already been granted, the project is now clear to proceed.
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