Thameslink's railway cleaners are being helped by the new government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, with the opening of a new facility in Cricklewood.

The new £40 million railway facility in north London also features a drive-through train wash, which is already cleaning trains on the ever-busy Thameslink route between Bedford, London and Brighton.

New Thameslink Class 700 trains will also be using the train wash when they're introduced in spring. These new trains are also to form a part of the programme's new intensive train service.

Speaking on the new cleaning facilities that the company's staff and passengers will enjoy, Network Rail's Thameslink programme director Simon Blanchflower said: "Everything the Thameslink Programme does is about improving journeys for passengers and this new facility will make a real difference."

After the programme has introduced its 24 trains per hour service from Blackfriars to St Pancras, it's expected that the staff at the Cricklewood facility, which can accommodate 22 trains at one time, will be able to remove one tonne of rubbish from trains every day.