BIG promises from the train operators.

Trains from London to Brighton every two to four minutes, 1,000 more seats in the morning peak and trains to be lengthened from eight to 12 carriages.

A total of £6.5 billion is being spent on the Thameslink programme and that’s because commuters have suffered a substandard service for far too long.

Let’s look at how far the service will have to come to please passengers. Southern Rail’s most popular Brighton to London Victoria train was late every day last year.

Commuters pay thousands for their annual tickets and are often squashed in like sardines, then facing a race to get to work on time once they finally get to London.

For the money they pay they deserve nothing less than a top class service in comfort.

These fancy brand new trains sound fantastic with the extra space and added information to help you once you arrive.

But the worrying thing is that when our reporters check the route, passengers tell us how they sit frustrated in their seats while their train waits in the queue to get into the capital.

This investment means more trains adding to those queues. But they are remodelling London Bridge Station to prevent bottlenecking so hope springs eternal.