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Blackfriars

Opened in 1886 as St Paul’s, and rebuilt across the Thames for the Thameslink Programme in 2009–12: the only London station to span the river, under a roof of solar panels.

Blackfriars: section looking out from the buffer stops (schematic)12Class 700 Desiro CityClass 700 Desiro City34Class 700 Desiro Citybuffer stopClass 700 Desiro Citybuffer stopThroughBays
Looking south from the buffer stops, across the river. The roof is drawn indicatively. The through platforms are on the left and the bays on the right; OpenStreetMap’s buffer stops put the bays at platforms 3 and 4. Where the platforms sit is schematic. The trains are Thameslink Class 700s. 5 px per metre.
4Platforms
1886Opened
15.2 millionEntries and exits (2024-25)
29thBusiest station in Britain (2024-25)

Facts

Opened
1886, as St Paul’s, by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway; renamed Blackfriars in 1937
Platforms
4: two through platforms for Thameslink and two terminal bays, 820 ft (250 m) long for 12-car trains
Routes
Thameslink, to Bedford, Luton, Cambridge, Peterborough, Gatwick and Brighton; the Sutton and Wimbledon loop; the Catford loop to Sevenoaks; Thameslink to Rainham
Operators
Thameslink, Southeastern
Underground
Circle District
Roof
One roof over the whole station along the rebuilt bridge, on Y-shaped columns and Vierendeel trusses, with more than 4,400 solar panels over 6,000 m², about half the station’s energy
Architect
Jacobs (detailed design), with Pascall+Watson (concept); the bridge by Tony Gee and Partners; built by Balfour Beatty
Listed
No listing found for the station
Interchanges
2.23 million (2024-25)
Managed by
Thameslink (Govia Thameslink Railway)

unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓

Where trains go

Where trains from Blackfriars go The 13 London termini at their real positions, with each terminus's routes following the railway out of London and then splitting to the parts of the country they serve, set out by compass direction. N Clapham JunctionClapham Junction StratfordStratford Finsbury ParkFinsbury Park Willesden JunctionWillesden Junction LewishamLewisham Elephant & CastleElephant & Castle WimbledonWimbledon River Thames Blackfriars to Gatwick and the Sussex coast: Thameslink Blackfriars to West Kent and Hastings: Thameslink Blackfriars to North and East Kent: Thameslink Blackfriars Blackfriars Blackfriars Gatwick and the Sussex coast East Croydon, Gatwick Airport,Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne West Kent and Hastings Sevenoaks, Tonbridge,Tunbridge Wells, Hastings North and East Kent Chatham, Ashford, Canterbury,Dover, Ramsgate PaddingtonPaddington MaryleboneMarylebone EustonEuston St PancrasSt Pancras King's CrossKing's Cross Liverpool StreetLiverpool Street Fenchurch StreetFenchurch Street Cannon StreetCannon Street London BridgeLondon Bridge Charing CrossCharing Cross WaterlooWaterloo VictoriaVictoria Blackfriars

Blackfriars’s routes follow the railway out of London, then split to the parts of the country they reach, set at their compass bearings; point at a line to see who runs it. The other termini are the small dots; select one to open its page. Distances are true at the circle’s edge, 6 miles (10 km) out, and stretched towards the middle so the termini have room. The route colour is the map’s own: not official, and not any operator’s livery. All 13 together: the map on the Maps page.

Platforms 4

Platform plan, to scale from OpenStreetMapRiver Thames1234Platform 1. About 880 ft (269 m) long, off OpenStreetMapPlatform 2. About 880 ft (268 m) long, off OpenStreetMapPlatform 3. About 880 ft (268 m) long, off OpenStreetMapPlatform 4. About 870 ft (265 m) long, off OpenStreetMapN100 ft (30 m)Platforms, tracks and outline © OpenStreetMap contributors

Seen from above, to scale: the platforms, tracks and the station building’s outline (the grey line) from OpenStreetMap, the buffer stops on the left (north is marked top left). The platforms run across the River Thames on the rebuilt bridge; the river’s banks (the blue-grey lines) from OpenStreetMap, smoothed to within 20 ft.

Trains

The Class 700 is Thameslink’s whole fleet. Southeastern’s Networkers are listed by operator, as their records don’t yet name Blackfriars.

History 4

  1. Opens as St Paul’s, for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway.
  2. Renamed Blackfriars by the Southern Railway.
  3. Rebuilt across the river for the Thameslink Programme; it reopens in February 2012 and is fully running by the summer.
  4. The solar roof is fitted, starting on 4 October 2011 and finishing in January 2014.

Sources 9

Show the 9 sources from Govia Thameslink Railway, Railway Technology, New Steel Construction and 6 more

Where the sources disagree:

  • CO2 saving: 511 tonnes a year (Network Rail) vs 513 tonnes (GTR).
  • Which numbers are bays and which through is inferred from live departure boards only.
  • Original designers: railway-technology.com credits the 1886 bridge/station to John Wolfe-Barry and Henry Marc Brunel; one search snippet also credited 'Pascall and Watson' with the 1886 design, which is wrong (they are the 2012 concept architects).
  • Exact opening and renaming dates are from Wikipedia only.
  • Routes list is assembled from Southeastern's station page and live boards; no single source lists them.
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