CONSERVATIVES in St Albans and Harpenden have urged developers to make sure disruption to Thameslink services is kept to a minimum when a new station is built.

Plans are under way to build a new station underneath the St Pancras station to replace the neighbouring King's Cross Thameslink station, scheduled to go ahead in 2004.

The work will also involve connecting Thameslink services to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

While work on the new station is carried out, all trains from St Albans City station into London will terminate at either St Pancras, Kentish Town or West Hampstead, forcing commuters to seek alternative routes into work.

Harpenden MP Peter Lilley and St Albans Tory candidate Charles Elphicke met managers from Railtrack, Union Railways and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project to urge them to keep the closure of the line running through King's Cross restricted to six months.

Mr Lilley said: 'We called the meeting because we were concerned that plans to link St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link will involve closing the Thameslink line for six to nine months in two to three years' time. This could severely inconvenience passengers from our constituencies going to the City.

'We believe that work on the Thameslink project should go ahead without waiting for the Channel Link as the government has suggested - and with minimum interference with existing services.'

Mr Elphicke added: 'We have asked the rail companies to ensure that the closure of the Thameslink line at St Pancras is kept to an absolute minimum.

'They have assured us that six months is the absolute minimum and that any other essential works that could result in closure of the line will also be carried out in that time.'

Railtrack spokesman Michelle Conaboy said there was still a substantial amount of planning to be done before work can begin.

She said: 'We are starting preparatory work in July 2001 in anticipation of the actual blockade in 2004.

'We are working very closely with the train operators involved which in this case are Thameslink and London Underground.

'These plans are designed to keep the disruption to a minimum as much as possible.'