If ever a London transport project had an inappropriate name, it was Thameslink 2000. Plans to improve the Bedford to Brighton railway through central London were first mooted in the mid 1990s, with a tentative completion date of the end of the century. Instead 2000 merely saw the start of the delayed public inquiry, during which many controversial deficiencies were exposed (Borough Market, who needs it?) and the Government threw the plans out. It took until 2006 for revised plans to pass through a follow-up inquiry, and only now in 2009 is the project finally getting underway.
This morning, finally, London's commuters get to feel the initial impact of the Thameslink programme. Not surprisingly, the initial impact is bad. The changes are at Blackfriarsstation, one of the bottlenecks on the cross London route, where the platform layout has to be completely reorganised. There are two through-lines, which will remain, but the other three platforms have to be closed so that they can switched from the east side of the station to the west. It's only when you realise that Blackfriars station sticks out onto a bridge across the Thames that the impact of this shift becomes apparent. Something very flashy will eventually emerge, but at significant short-term cost.
Twoof my favourite photo opportunities are about to vanish. One is the lunatic painting at the tip of platforms 1 and 2, where two yellow lines coalesce making it impossible to stand simultaneously behind both [photo]. And the other is the view from the Embankment looking out across the disused piers of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. This bridge was abandoned by goods traffic in 1964, and 20 years later the main span was removed leaving a dozen lonely red columns sticking out of the Thames [photo]. Waste not, want not. These isolated abutments are to be used to support the new west-side platforms at Blackfriars station, and engineering work is already afoot to begin linking them together.
But commuter hell isn't destined to encroach upon this part of Blackfriars station. Rail services across the Thames will continue, even in three weeks time when platforms 1 to 3 close for good. Instead it's the underground that suffers, because the underground ticket hall is in the way of where the flashiest innards of the new overground station are due to be. So, bad luck tube travellers, because Blackfriars tube station closes today. Until the end of 2011. This closure is deadly serious.
Trains on the District and Circle lines will still pass through Blackfriars beneath a protective steel shield, unaffected, but they'll no longer stop. This is particularly annoying for commuters arriving from Sevenoaks, Beckenham Junction or Brighton, because they'll no longer be able to make a swift interchange onto the tube to continue their journeys to work. Official leaflets offer some patronising upbeat advice for those affected. Why not walk to nearby Mansion House or Temple stations and catch the tube from there? (Because they're 10 minutes walk away, which means wasting an extra hour and a half every week for two and a half years) Why not catch the 388 bus, which now conveniently runs to Mansion House and Temple stations? (Because the bus only runs every 10 minutes, and it's probably quicker to walk than to wait) Why not continue on your train to the cavernous and underused City Thameslink station, and walk from there? (Because there are no tube stations anywhere near City Thameslink either, for heaven's sake). Or why not vary your inbound journey and change at some other station on the way into town? (Because all the other routes are already jam packed in the rush hour, and you'll never squeeze on board).
My condolences if your daily commute involves interchanging at Blackfriars tube station, because you're about to be very seriously inconvenienced for a very long time. Me, I'm rather pleased, because my recently revised District line commute passes straight through Blackfriars station. Now that trains aren't stopping to pick up passengers I reckon I should save about a minute on the way into work and another minute on the way home. By my calculations that's approximately 2000 minutes saved altogether over the next 2¾ years. Perhaps Thameslink 2000 was well named after all.
This morning, finally, London's commuters get to feel the initial impact of the Thameslink programme. Not surprisingly, the initial impact is bad. The changes are at Blackfriars station, one of the bottlenecks on the cross London route, where the platform layout has to be completely reorganised. There are two through-lines, which will remain, but the other three platforms have to be closed so that they can switched from the east side of the station to the west. It's only when you realise that Blackfriars station sticks out onto a bridge across the Thames that the impact of this shift becomes apparent. Something very flashy will eventually emerge, but at significant short-term cost.
Trains on the District and Circle lines will still pass through Blackfriars beneath a protective steel shield, unaffected, but they'll no longer stop. This is particularly annoying for commuters arriving from Sevenoaks, Beckenham Junction or Brighton, because they'll no longer be able to make a swift interchange onto the tube to continue their journeys to work. Official leaflets offer some patronising upbeat advice for those affected. Why not walk to nearby Mansion House or Temple stations and catch the tube from there? (Because they're 10 minutes walk away, which means wasting an extra hour and a half every week for two and a half years) Why not catch the 388 bus, which now conveniently runs to Mansion House and Temple stations? (Because the bus only runs every 10 minutes, and it's probably quicker to walk than to wait) Why not continue on your train to the cavernous and underused City Thameslink station, and walk from there? (Because there are no tube stations anywhere near City Thameslink either, for heaven's sake). Or why not vary your inbound journey and change at some other station on the way into town? (Because all the other routes are already jam packed in the rush hour, and you'll never squeeze on board).
