Blackfriars station
London Blackfriars Blackfriars Millennium Pier [3] | |
---|---|
London Underground annual entry and exit | |
2018 | 11.75 million[4] |
2019 | 15.53 million[5] |
2020 | 2.89 million[6] |
2021 | 4.80 million[7] |
2022 | 9.41 million[8] |
National Rail annual entry and exit | |
2018–19 | 12.140 million[9] |
– interchange | 2.660 million[9] |
2019–20 | 12.993 million[9] |
– interchange | 2.932 million[9] |
2020–21 | 2.100 million[9] |
– interchange | 0.581 million[9] |
2021–22 | 5.982 million[9] |
– interchange | 1.500 million[9] |
2022–23 | 12.905 million[9] |
– interchange | 7.722 million[9] |
Railway companies | |
Original company | London, Chatham and Dover Railway |
Key dates | |
10 May 1886 | Opened as St. Paul's (LC&DR) |
30 May 1870 | Opened (MDR) |
1 February 1937 | Renamed as Blackfriars |
30 November 1977 | Rebuilt (British Rail) |
20 February 2012 | Rebuilt (Thameslink) |
Other information | |
External links | |
Coordinates | 51°30′42″N 0°06′11″W / 51.5116°N 0.103°W |
London transport portal |
Blackfriars, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local (from North to South London), and regional (Bedford and Cambridge to Brighton) and limited Southeastern commuter services to South East London and Kent. Its platforms span the River Thames, the only one in London to do so, along the length of Blackfriars Railway Bridge, a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. There are two station entrances either side of the Thames, along with a connection to the London Underground District and Circle lines.
The main line station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway with the name St. Paul's in 1886, as a replacement for the earlier Blackfriars Bridge station (now the present station's southern entrance) and the earlier Blackfriars railway bridge. This increased capacity of rail traffic through the Snow Hill tunnel to the rest of the rail network. The Underground station opened in 1870 with the arrival of the Metropolitan District Railway. The station was renamed Blackfriars in 1937 to avoid confusion with St Paul's tube station. It was rebuilt in the 1970s, which included the addition of office space above the station and the closure of the original railway bridge, which was demolished in 1985.
In 2009, the station underwent major refurbishments to improve capacity, which included the extension of the platforms across the railway bridge and a new station entrance on the South Bank. The underground station was rebuilt at the same time, and work was completed in 2012.
Location
Blackfriars station[a] serves Thameslink rail services that connect suburbs with central London. It straddles the River Thames, running across the length of Blackfriars Railway Bridge parallel to the A201 Blackfriars Bridge.[11] For this reason, it is partly in the City of London and partly in the London Borough of Southwark. The north bank entrance is on the south side of Queen Victoria Street and the south bank entrance, opened in 2011, is adjacent to Blackfriars Road.[12]
The station falls within
History
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The station was proposed by the
The railway bridge across the Thames was delayed because the City's controlling government, the
The mainline Blackfriars station was opened by the LC&DR as St. Paul's railway station on 10 May 1886 when the company opened the St. Paul's Railway Bridge across the Thames. The bridge was constructed parallel to the 1864 Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying seven tracks across five arched spans between 175 feet (53 m) and 185 feet (56 m) high. It widened past the bridge to the terminus on the south side of Queen Victoria Street. The original station was a small and cheaply designed pink-red brick building, as the LC&DR had financial difficulties throughout its lifetime attempting to drive a railway through Central London.[23] The station's frontage backed onto the District Railway, making a cab access and forecourt impossible owing to lack of space. It did, however, allow St Paul's a direct interchange with the rest of the underground, unlike all the other LC&DR stations. On 13 November 1886, a direct connection was made between the mainline and underground stations.[20]
After the opening of St. Paul's station, the earlier Blackfriars Bridge station was closed to passengers but remained as a goods station until 1965.[24][b] Most mainline trains called at St Paul's, including those stopping at Holborn Viaduct. Local commuters continued to use Ludgate Hill where possible, as it was closer to where they were going, but it did not have sufficient capacity.[20]
Southern Railway and Southern Region
London, Chatham & Dover Railway City Branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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St. Paul's station was renamed by the Southern Railway as Blackfriars on 1 February 1937. This was partly done to avoid confusion after the London Passenger Transport Board renamed Post Office tube station on the Central line to St Paul's, and partly so that the mainline and underground stations would have the same name.[23] It suffered significant bomb damage during World War II.[26] Overnight on 16–17 April 1941, the signalbox on the south side of the bridge was destroyed, along with a bridge over Southwark Street.[27] Seven flagmen were caught in the blast, with three being killed outright, another three dying in hospital from burns and just one surviving after a long recovery in hospital.[28] The signals were not fully restored until 11 August 1946, after the war.[29]
After the creation of
The station began to be rebuilt along with the Underground station in 1971, which included an additional 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of office space. Reconstruction was problematic, as the original station building had sat on top of a
Station rebuild
Blackfriars station was significantly renovated between 2009 and 2012 in a £500 million redevelopment programme to modernise the station and increase capacity.
On the south bank of the river a new station entrance was built at Bankside, containing a second ticket hall.[38] The through platforms were moved to the east side and extended along Blackfriars Railway Bridge to accommodate 12-carriage trains (in place of the previous eight). The layout has been altered by building new bay platforms on the west side, avoiding the need for through trains between City Thameslink and London Bridge crossing the paths of terminating ones.[34]
The works exploited the disused piers west of the existing railway bridge which once supported the former West Blackfriars and St. Paul's Railway Bridge. The easternmost row of disused piers was strengthened, tied into the existing bridge and clad in stone.
The
Accidents
- On 19 May 1938, a SECR B1 class locomotive was derailed, causing several hours disruption at the station.[43]
- On 2 January 2014, a train's pantograph struck the roof of the station due to a technical fault. The accident involving a First Capital Connect service from St Albans City to Sevenoaks did not result in any injuries but caused delays of around 45 minutes.[44][45]
Services
Blackfriars main-line station is served by through services on the
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[47]
- 4 tph to Brighton via Gatwick Airport
- 2 tph to Horsham via Redhill and Gatwick Airport
- 2 tph to Three Bridges via Redhill
- 2 tph to Rainham via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal, Dartford and Gravesend
- 2 tph to Sevenoaks via Catford and Swanley
- 4 tph to Mitcham Junction and 2 run via Wimbledon)
- 4 tph to St Albans City (all stations)
- 2 tph to Luton (all stations except Kentish Town, Cricklewood and Hendon)
- 4 tph to Bedford (semi-fast)
- 2 tph to Cambridge via Stevenage
- 2 tph to Peterborough via Stevenage
The station is also served by a small number of Southeastern services to Beckenham Junction and Dartford.
Although many services are Thameslink through trains, Blackfriars is considered a central London terminus and tickets marked 'London Terminals' are valid to use when travelling to/from the south. Tickets marked 'London Thameslink' can be used in both directions.[48]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Thameslink | ||||
London Bridge |
||||
Terminus | Southeastern Limited Service | |||
Preceding station | London Underground | Following station | ||
Temple towards Edgware Road via Victoria
|
Circle line | Mansion House towards Hammersmith via Tower Hill
| ||
Temple | District line | Mansion House towards Upminster
| ||
Disused railways | ||||
Ludgate Hill Line open, station closed
|
London, Chatham & Dover Railway City Branch
|
Blackfriars Bridge Line open, station closed
| ||
Holborn Viaduct Line and station closed
|
Network SouthEast City Line
|
Elephant & Castle Line and station open
|
Blackfriars Underground station
Blackfriars Underground station is served by the
The underground station was closed on 2 March 2009 for major renovation work and reopened on 20 February 2012.[54] This involved demolishing the National Rail building and merging its ticket hall with the Underground's.[30]
References
Notes
- ^ The station is formally called "London Blackfriars" in official railway documentation.[10]
- South Eastern Railway, which was ultimately replaced by Waterloo East railway station.[25]
Citations
- ^ "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
- ^ "London and South East" (PDF). National Rail. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009.
- ^ "Out of Station Interchanges" (XLSX). Transport for London. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (CSV). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2018. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2019. Transport for London. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2020. Transport for London. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2021. Transport for London. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Station Usage Data" (XLSX). Usage Statistics for London Stations, 2022. Transport for London. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ "London Blackfriars". Southern. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Blackfriars station". Thameslink Programme. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ a b "A better Blackfriars!". First Capital Connect. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012.
- ^ "Station facilities for London Blackfriars". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
- ^ "Train operating company drivers' depots on the Traindriver.org website". September 2017.
- ^ "London River Services" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Buses from Blackfriars" (PDF). TfL. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Blackfriars". TfL. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 191.
- ^ a b Minnis 2011, p. 53.
- ^ a b c d Jackson 1984, p. 198.
- ^ a b Jackson 1984, p. 192.
- ^ Jackson 1984, pp. 191–192, 197.
- ^ a b Jackson 1984, p. 197.
- ^ Jackson 1984, pp. 197, 205.
- ^ "Glas Architects To Design New Cafe At London's Southwark Station". Design Curial. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ a b McCarthy & McCarthy 2009, p. 69.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 203.
- ISBN 978-1844680474.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 206.
- ^ a b c d Christopher 2015, p. 129.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 205.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 360.
- ^ Jackson 1984, p. 359.
- ^ a b "London's latest landmark: Blackfriars station". London Evening Standard. 13 June 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Two new platforms and 700 extra trains for Blackfriars". Thameslink. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
- ^ Christopher 2015, pp. 129–130.
- ^ "Thameslink – 2006 Transport and Works Act Decision Letter". Department for Transport. 18 October 2006. paragraph 35. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
- ^ "Blackfriars Station's Bankside Ticket Hall Opens". Londonist. December 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "National Rail Awards 2017: Blackfriars wins Major Station of the Year". Rail Magazine. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ a b Woodman, Peter (20 February 2012). "Rebuilt Blackfriars Tube station reopens". The Independent. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "World's largest solar-powered bridge opens in London". The Guardian. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
- ^ "Thameslink 2000 Inspector's Report 2006, section 17.2.7". Department for Transport. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- ISBN 0-906899-35-4.
- ^ "Thameslink train hits roof at London's Blackfriars station". BBC News. 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Railway Group Safety Performance Monitoring – Definitions and Guidance – Section B 8.5 Train accidents" (PDF). RSSB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "London Blackfriars is almost there!". First Capital Connect. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
- ^ Table 24, 25, 52, 173, 175, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 188, 195, 196, 197, 199, 201, 212 National Rail timetable, May 2022
- ^ "Travelling to, from and via London". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "Standard Tube Map" (PDF). Transport For London. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 20.
- ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 24.
- ^ Demuth 2004, p. 6.
- ^ Day & Reed 2010, p. 28.
- ^ "Blackfriars Tube station reopens after three years". BBC News. 20 February 2012.
Sources
- Christopher, John (2015). London's Historic Railway Stations Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-5111-8.
- Day, John; Reed, John (2010) [1963]. The Story of London's Underground (11th ed.). Capital Transport. ISBN 978-1-85414-341-9.
- Demuth, Tim (2004). The Spread of London's Underground. Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-277-1.
- Minnis, John (2011). Britain's Lost Railways. Quarto. ISBN 978-0-7112-6162-4.
- Jackson, Alan (1984) [1969]. London's Termini (New Revised ed.). London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-330-02747-6.
- McCarthy, Colin; McCarthy, David (2009). Railways of Britain – London North of the Thames. Hersham, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-3346-7.