The first new Thameslink trains serving Gatwick Airport are on track to begin service from spring 2016 on the Brighton to Bedford line, the manufacturer Siemens has announced. From 2018, these new trains will also start operating on two new direct services connecting Gatwick to both Peterborough and Cambridge, following completion of the £6.5 billion Thameslink infrastructure upgrade programme. In addition, new Gatwick Express trains will also start service between the airport and London Victoria from early 2016, with 108 new carriages built by Bombardier being designed specifically for the airport passenger.