This month marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Thameslink line services through central London. The first trains ran on the 16th May 1988, but the launch was marred by cancellations after a train developed a fault.
That was not a good start for a line that provides a now vital north-south link through the centre of London, and it’s almost unimaginable that such a service was once thought of as a bit of a daft idea.
Like a lot of railway upgrades in London over the past few decades, it was the reuse of Victorian infrastructure that permitted the new line to come into existence.
The core of the Thameslink service is the Snow Hill tunnel, opened in January 1866 to create a north-south link for passengers, and at the time more importantly, cargo. The tunnel runs directly under Smithfield meat market, and the railway was an important supplier to the market. There were three stations on the new line, at Snow Hill, Ludgate Hill, and much larger, at Holborn Viaduct. In 1916 though, passenger services ceased through the tunnel while Snow Hill station closed. Ludgate Hill station, which is very close to Holborn Viaduct station closed a decade later.
Cargo carried on until the 1960s, until eventually the tunnel closed entirely. The tracks were lifted, and it seemed that the tunnels were to remain an unused asset until they were slowly chopped up by office blocks being built on top of them.
In the intervening years, Holborn Viaduct operated as the city terminus station for trains coming up from South London via Blackfriars. Although services to Holborn Viaduct started to decline after the war, the station was still in use and popular during the working week.
A key factor to consider is that the Holborn Viaduct station sat next to the tunnels, not over them. So, in 1984, British Rail proposed reopening the tunnel, and shifting the station sideways so that it would be more like a tube station than a railway terminus.
This wasn’t the original plan, it was only after the Greater London Council stumped up the cash for a feasibility study did they find out that the works could be done for an affordable £4 million, instead of the presumed £30 million. This was thanks to decisions such as avoiding the extension of Southern Rail’s 3rd rail into North London and the construction of an elaborate interchange at West Hampstead.
So, plans approved, and works started in 1986 to relay the missing tracks in the tunnels and add in modern signalling systems.
On 16th May 1988, through services resumed for the first time since 1916, under the new Thameslink brandname.
But almost as soon as services had started, Thameslink closed the central London section, from 29th January to 29th May 1990. This was to allow the completion of the building of a brand new station in the centre of London — City Thameslink.
This also saw the demolition of a bridge that was at once both a famous landmark, but also as famous for spoiling a view of St Paul’s Cathedral.
The new station ran under the streets rather than above them, with a steep slope from Blackfriars down to the new City Thameslink station.
The new station can also be seen as a merger of two older stations, for its southern entrance is roughly where the old Ludgate Hill station used to be, and its northern entrance is next to the site of the old Holborn Viaduct station.
The City Thameslink station was also built for the future – a future that never arrived, as it included some safeguarding features for the planned Jubilee line extension which would have run through the City instead of Southwark.
It could still get a connection to the London Underground though, as there is a suggestion that a passenger link to the moderately close St Pauls’s tube station would be possible.
The past few years have been, to put it mildly, difficult as the Thameslink upgrade project worked to cope with surging passenger demand.
But on this it’s 30th anniversary, maybe time to celebrate the original crossrail through central London by putting it back on the tube map again.
A year older than I am as I born in June 1989. Firstly when Thameslink was formed in May 1988. The BREL Class 319 EMU’s were first built and are built as 4-Car dual voltage trains running on AC 25kv Overhead and DC 750v 3rd Rail. Plus BREL could of built the Class 319’s as 5-Car units making it a 10-Car Thameslink railway operating from north to south through Central London. But sadly as most of the Class 319’s have been transferred to Northern and some to London Northwestern Railway (previously London Midland). And some to be converted into Class 769 Bi-Mode/Tri-Mode units to be used on Northern, Arriva Trains Wales and Great Western Railway.
The new Siemens Desiro City Class 700 EMU’s were built in Germany between 2014-2018 and have taken over the Thameslink network as the new timetable set to be introduced on Sunday this year. As the Class 700’s have entered service in June 2016 and are formed as 8-Car and 12-Car units working on various routes including Bedford-Brighton via Elephant & Castle (soon to go via London Bridge) and the Wimbledon Loop via Sutton.
As well as operating to Orpington and Sevenoaks. The new services on Thameslink will be introduced when the timetable is been introduced from Sunday 20th May. Also the completion of the Thameslink programme and the rebuilt of London Bridge station that is also completed with London Bridge being reborn.
Thameslink trains will be operated as 24tph between St. Pancras International and London Bridge with new services to & from Cambridge, Peterborough, Horsham, Littlehampton, Ashford International and Gillingham to be announced.
In the past. Thameslink used to run to Moorgate from Luton and Bedford via Farringdon before it was closed forever and the platform extensions at Farringdon that was built ready for Class 700 trains to stop at Farringdon. Which meant was you have to interchange and use the London Underground Circle, H&C & Metropolitan Lines with the S-Stocks (S8/S7) do stop at Barbican and Moorgate since the Moorgate branch line from Farringdon closed in March 2009.
30 years of Thameslink. What a milestone.
Also could Thameslink operate to/from Kings Lynn or is Thameslink going to start to/from Cambridge/Cambridge North or Ely. Which means Great Northern will still operate their trains to/from Kings Lynn.
Given the billions spent on the Thameslink Project it’s easy to forget that the original scheme was seen as a way of saving money given the need to replace old trains into Blackfriars/ Holborn Viaduct and Moorgate from MML by being able to buy a single fleet of trains following electrification of MML to Bedford.
What wasn’t seen was how popular this link would become once open with trained packed like sardines as people took advantage of new links both with central London and across London Thameslink provided without need to change trains .
Given how the Central Line runs beneath Holborn Viaduct then either a link to St Pauls Station or a new station would make sense . I reckon if a new station was built then a connection to Farringdon Station which is also only a short distance away could also be possible.
Nice article (as usual)- sorry to point out that the link for the “suggestion” (para 18) doesn’t work.
City Thameslink was called St Paul’s Thameslink when it opened if I remember correctly.
It was indeed, it was changed at the request of the London Fire Brigade to avoid confusion with St Paul’s on the Central line. That said I’m not sure there was actual confusion between the two and of course the change has meant that for over 30 years the station has missed out being associated with one of the most famous buildings in the world and any additional usage that might have bought?
I can remember standing on the platform at Holborn Viaduct looking at the forlorn remains of the Snow Hill Tunnel. I knew what it was, and I thought it was sad it had had its day. That was eight years before it re-opened.
I can remember standing at the end of Farringdon station Bedpan up platform, and looking wistfully into the direction of Snow Hill. Returned to Australia in May ’87, too early to see the dream fulfilled.
Those were the days. Ferme Park to Hither Green trips down ‘the hole’ with a pair of 24s. Showering the City gents with coal at Farringdon after flooring it on the climb up from Ray Street.