The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Monday October 23 2006

We said in the news brief below that the government had given planning permission and legal powers to Network Rail for a Transport 2000 project to ease rail congestion. That should have been a Thameslink 2000 project. Transport 2000 is a campaign group.

The Thameslink line between Brighton and Bedford, one of London's busiest rail routes, is close to securing a £3.5bn overhaul after the government gave planning permission and legal powers to Network Rail to go ahead with a Thameslink 2000 project to ease congestion yesterday. It involves extensive improvements at London Bridge, Blackfriars and Farringdon stations, and an increase in peak-time trains from eight an hour to up to 24. Passenger capacity will more than double, with stations served rising from 51 to 172, allowing uninterrupted journeys from Cambridge to Gatwick airport.