On Jan 22, 8:25*pm, Mizter T wrote:
[snip]
[...] The reasons for the SLL service being dropped are twofold:

(1) London Bridge won't have space to accommodate it as it'll have
fewer terminating platforms as a result of the station's redevelopment
for the Thameslink Programme and won't have the capacity to
accommodate the SLL service - AIUI much of this redevelopment will
happen in tandem with the construction of the Shard skyscraper,
because the developers have to cough up x amount of money to
contribute towards the redevelopment of LB station. (My understanding
is that the space currently occupied by platforms 14-16 will become
part of the Shard development around the base of the tower.)

I should just clarify something here. I had been operating under a
sort of vague and muddled misapprehension that the Shard development
might actually end up permanently 'stealing' some platforms from LB -
this is not the case, as has since been made clear to me (by Peter
Masson downthread) - the old LB has 15 platforms, the new LB will also
have 15 platforms, there will simply be a shift to there being more
through platforms (though given the construction undertaking that
requires, saying 'simply' is a bit of an understatement there!).

(I think I'd somehow picked up on this notion of the Shard gobbling up
platform space by reading a blog comment on the London Connections
blog while back, which is not necessarily a great venue for reliable
information - the comment that is, not Mr Thant's great, late and
lamented blog itself!)