Blackfriars Update - 2nd September 2009

Just a quick update with some pictures of Blackfriars. Over the bank holiday wekend the passenger bridge linking platforms 4 and 5 was lifted into place. as you can see from the following pictures, work has progressed rather well.

Not in the pictures is the new front entrance to the station which is completed. It will open along side the new station control room in around two weeks time.

Blackfriars - Platform 5 Changes

This weekend saw major changes being implemented on the northbound platform 5 at Blackfriars this weekend. As part of the on going works the platform is being extended to the south. This was necessary because of the closure of the link bridge over the District/Circle Line below to the main exit. This now means the main way onto the platform is from the newer St Paul's Walk. The subway between platform 5 and 4 is still open for the movement but will be closing soon once the new link bridge is complete (currently due for a months time).


This is the link bridge not long after closing for the last time. This bridge actually spans the District and Circle Line below, now encased.


This is the signal waiting to be assembled


This massive block is lifted onto the platform onto some concrete to hold it steady.


Note the the route indicator is currently unattached. This was added to the signal once I'd left. The route indicator is needed because of the points just south of City Thameslink allowing trains in either direction to change tracks.


This is the platform extnesion on the south end of the platform 5.

Blackfriars Shield

As part of the engineering work over the Easter period a shield was installed around the sub surface tracks of the District/Circle lines at Blackfriars was lifted into place. This shield is to protect the tracks and allow running as both the Underground and First Capital Connect stations during the 30 month rebuild that's costing £350m as part of getting ready for Key Output One (KO1) which should be in place in time for the 2012 Olympics. Once finished both parts of the Tube station will have escalators and lifts allowing step free access to the four Network Rail platforms and the two Underground ones.

For more images of the station as its being rebuild see here.

Goodbye Moorgate

This is the final passanger train leaving Moorgate for the last time. The 8 car unit was formed of 319364 and 319365, the two Thameslink programme branded 319 trains. Now work can begin on the track at Farringon, although the branch will not be pulled up till December 09 but it will shortly be degrade to empty stock movements only shortly.

The bays at Blackfriars are also now shut after the final 2112 service to Sevenoaks departed last night.

On good news 377501 is on test today before going back to FCC next week hopefully.

Thameslink Programme - Key Output Zero

Pictures are of FCC unit 377501 (the first of 23 Electrostars to be deliveried) departing platform four at Blackfriars. The unit was returning to Selhurst before going onto Derby the following day.

As the Thameslink programme is now under way the first major step of the programme is about to begin and is going to have massive affect on the customers using the Thameslink route and also SouthEastern's customers on the services that currently terimate in Blackfriars.

The Thameslink Programme was broken down into three output phases. The first, Key Output Zero hits on the 23rd March. This will see the bays at Blackfriars horded off and the station rebuilt while serving trains. Moorgate will lose its Thameslink branch and Barbican will lose mainline trains and become a London Underground station only. Sevenoaks services will be extended northways with all but 5 services going as far as Kentish Town with some peak working going even futher. The current SouthEastern trains to (AM peak) and from (PM peak) Blackfriars will be extended as far as Bedford.

To achieve this First Capital Connect (FCC) are gaining additional stock to run all these extra services. Now this is where the problems arise. Due to massive problems Bombarbier have had with some suppliers being out of business. This has also affected the London Overground 378s. Because of the fact that now building work has started and the Thameslink Programme can not be put back any futher, a train cascade is now taking place to ensure that FCC can cope with the demands of a Key Output Zero (KO0) timetable. FCC will now recieve eight 377/2 Electrostar (which are actually the same as the 377/5 FCC are waiting to be deliveried). This would mean that Southern are multiple units short. To this end they are getting some 375 Electrostars from SouthEastern, Dual Voltage 350/1s from London Midland and using some 442 EMUs to cover their services.

The bad news is this is now enough units to cover everything so the following services are going to be DC only Networkers services instead of going futher north. All will terimate at City Thameslink.

AM Peak
0740 Sevenoaks to (Kentish Town) City Thameslink
*8 car 319 now 6 car Networker (465 + 466)
0752 Sevenoaks to (Luton) City Thameslink
*8 car 319 now 8 car Networker (465 x2)

PM Peak
1650 (Luton) City Thameslink to Sevenoaks
* 8 car 319 now 8 car Networker (465 x2)
1808 (Kentish Town) City Thameslink to Sevenoaks
* 8 car 319 now 8 car Networker (465 + 466 x2)
1906 Sevenoaks to (Kentish Town) City Thameslink
* 8 car 319 now 8 car Networker (465 x2)

Ther is also an extra train that will start at Farringdon. This is because the unit will be formed of two 4 car 317 units that are AC only so are unable to work south of Farringdon. The units will run the following service

1816 Farringdon to Bedford
St Pancras International 1820, St Albans 1842, Harpenden 1848, Luton Airport Parkway 1854, Luton 1857, Harlington 1905 and arrive at Bedford 1920

The joint SouthEastern/FCC services will including the following as well as the Sevenoaks services. These will use 4 or 8 car 319 trains to achieve this

AM Peak
2 trains from Orpington via Catford
2 trains from Orpington via Herne Hill
2 trains from Bromley South via Catford
1 train from Beckenham Junction via Herne Hill
1 train from Kent House via Herne Hill

PM Peak
1 train to Orpington via Catford
2 trains to Beckenham Junction via Herne Hill

Long distance services will be as follows

AM Peak
0609 Bearstead to Bedford via Maidstone East
0623 Ashford International to Bedford via Maidstone East
0729 Rochester to bedford

PM Peak
1622 Bedford to Gillingham via Herne Hill
1646 Bedford to Bedford via Maidstone East
1700 Bedford to Gillingham via Herne Hill

So the Fleet for FCC Thameslink come KO0 will be as follows

317 x2 (borrowed from FCC Great Northern route)
319 x86 (the whole 319 fleet)
377/2 x8 (Borrowed from Southern)
377/5 x2 (with a futher 21 to be deliveried during 2009)

This leaves a total of 10 peak trains that are four car units which are as follows

AM Peak
0629 Luton to Sevenoaks
0816 Brighton to Bedford

PM Peak
1507 Brighton to Bedford
1534 Sevenoaks to Bedford
1537 Brighton to Bedford
1544 Luton to Sutton
1613 St Albans to Wimbledon
1711 London Bridge to Brighton
1740 Sutton to St Albans
1757 Wimbledon to Luton
1842 London Bridge to Brighton

Once all 23 377/5 Electrostars are deliveried all AM peak services will be of 8 car units and only six 4 car services in the PM peak. Although there is more than planned 4 car services the capacity remains silmar to the planned KO0 timetable.

TLP Month

March 2009 might as well be called Thameslink Programme (TLP) month from all the changes happening with the staged introduction of Key Output Zero (KO0). This basically is when the Moorgate branch closes and trains from Sevenoaks are (re)added into the Thameslink network due to lack of terminating bays at Blackfriars come the end of the month. The key dates are different to the 'official' dates but I have used the actually changes rather than the basic timetable changes as weekend services as you know is non existence at the moment.

27th Febuary 2009

The final time you'll be able to use Blackfriars Tube station until late (IE nov/dec) 2011. This is due to Network Rail (NR) rebuilding the whole station to provide a proper interchange with the Thameslink station and will have step free access. Please not that although they say it closes on the 2nd Febuary there is engineering work that weekend meaning you can't access the station on the 28th Febuary/1st March.

20th March 2009

This is the final day of services into Moorgate from the north Thameslink route before closure to allow Farringdon's platforms to be extended over the branch's junction to cope with the 12 car trains coming from 2012. The final service should be the 1906 to Bedford calling at Farringdon, St Pancras International, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Leagrave and Bedford arriving at 2012.

23rd March 2009

Customer living on the Sevenoaks to Blackfriars via Catford line will come under the Thameslink/First Capital Network with all trains running through the Central London Core to at least as far as Kentish Town. The service will be run by 4 car 319s and in the peaks will be extended to as far as Bedford. The current services from Beckenham Junction, Gillingham, Rochester and Ashford International into Blackfrairs will also be a joint effort with First Capital Connect and SouthEastern. The trains are due to be run by dual voltage 377/5 and are planned to be 8 units if enough 377/5's are delivered for this date.

As you can see the next month sees a lot of changes to both First Capital Connect services as well as SouthEastern services from late March. This is all part of providing more seats for customers using these services. There is still a danger that these keys dates are not meet. As of writing we are a 4 weeks away from the latest date and yet we have only had two 377/5's delivered with the first 377501 expected to be in service this week according to the latest dates. The second unit 377504 was delivered last week and has under gone some testing, neither have been on the Thameslink Core as of yet. Something that will have to change very soon. Work on the bridge at Farringdon is also behind but Network rail is stepping up efforts there and beginning to make real effort to meet the deadline. If enough 377's and the bridge at Farringdon isn't ready in time then the whole programme could slip. There is only a few months 'spare' in the time scale before the Olympics hit in 2012. Hopefully FCC, DfT, SouthEastern, NR and Bombardier will have all the problems solved or minimised by the time KO0 kicks in.

Beware what's coming commuters!

Beware whats coming commuters
Originally uploaded by MackenzieBlu

Here's the start of LU's major information drive to inform customers of the forthcoming closure of Blackfriars tube station as part of the Thameslink Programme. This along with a leaflet drive should get to customers the fact the station is closing temporarly. Once complete the new station will have step free access and a new airy and glass building fronted ticket office. It will look good but lead to major pain in the medium time.

Thameslink Programme

London Blackfriars (Thameslink)
Originally uploaded by MackenzieBlu

The first visible part of the Thameslink programme has begun with the start of demolishing of 179 Queen Street (it was an LU office building). This will allow for the new glass fronted station to be constructed. This also means that from March 2nd 2009 the Underground station closes to allow for rebuilding. When the station opens late 2011 both the platforms on the District/Circle lines will be refurished. The 3 terimating platforms currently on the east side of the station will also close on the 22nd March with currently terimating trains will continue through the Thameslink core to Kentish Town. The Thameslink station will be closed for 4 weeks next summer but the rest of the time will remain open.

For an image of the station when its finished click here

Blackfriars closure

TfL annonced yesterday that Blackfriars station is going to close from march 2009 for two years until 2011. The main reason is they are basically rebuilding the station to go from a capacity of 4,500 to 12,000 an hour. This is a huge shift and requires a major rebuild as part of the Thameslink programme. The cost of all this rebuilding is £350m (small figures for a £5.5bn uprade of Thameslink and connecting parts). As part of this the Tube platforms on the Circle and District Lines will be close as work goes on. When it reopens in 2011 the station will be fully step free, bigger ticket hall and refurished platforms. The main line station is also getting a new entrance on the South Bank.

One thing that got me is the Evening Standard. They complain about the closure then go on to say they have been campaigning about "chronic overcrowding". How the hell can they safely rebuild without closing it especially as they are removing the eight story building above?

Well hopefully we can all enjoy the new station in a few years. One thinkg tho are they really planning on running Thameslink in 2011 with slam door Connex branded trains?