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Commuter trains from some parts of Kent should be less crowded next year thanks to the £5.5 billion Thameslink Improvement Project.

Although commuters face higher prices for season tickets from the New Year, some have been promised a more pleasant journey as Southeastern lays on extra trains.

The operator promises more than 4,000 extra seats in the morning peak and a further 3,500 additional seats in the evening.

From March, some Southeastern services will be joining First Capital Connect’s Thameslink routes, so that passengers will be able to travel between Sevenoaks and stations in north London without changing trains at Blackfriars.

This will release Networker carriages currently in use for services to and from Blackfriars and enable Southeastern to extend the length and frequency of many trains on its wider suburban Metro routes to ease problems with crowding.

From December, Southeastern says it aims to provide two additional early morning services between Barnehurst and Cannon Street and one between Hayes and Cannon Street, with a fourth additional service from Hayes starting in March 2009.

A Southeastern spokesman said: "These changes are all good news for customers travelling in and out of London on some of our busiest suburban routes, with longer and more frequent trains providing extra capacity and less crowding."

The Thameslink Programme will increase capacity on the route between Brighton and Bedford and allow trains from King’s Lynn, Cambridge and Peterborough to run via Thameslink. It will also enable 50 per cent longer trains across the Thamelink route and should eliminate bottlenecks at Blackfriars and London Bridge.

Network Rail is to improve the old Victorian track layout around London Bridge station, constructing a new two track viaduct will be over Borough Market, easing congestion and enabling more trains to travel north-south through London during peak times.