City Thameslink railway station


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City Thameslink is a National Rail station in the City of London. The platforms are underground, with a southern entrance on Ludgate Hill just off Ludgate Circus, and a northern entrance on Holborn Viaduct. It is in Zone 1, between and, on the Thameslink route. It was the intended location of station on the Fleet Line (now Jubilee Line) until that project was abandoned in the late 1970s. Although a through station, for ticketing purposes it is considered a central London railway terminus for journeys to and from the south.

History
The station opened on 29 May 1990 as St Paul's Thameslink. The name was changed in 1991, apparently to avoid confusion with London Underground station (Central Line), which is several hundred yards away on the other side of St Paul's Cathedral.

When Thameslink first opened, trains used the approach viaduct for Holborn Viaduct station to reach the Snow Hill tunnel. In preparation for that station's closure on 26 January 1990, a new line between Blackfriars station and the tunnel was constructed, this time on a different alignment slightly to the west and at a lower elevation, allowing buildings to be constructed on top. City Thameslink was built on the line as a replacement for Holborn Viaduct station.

Due to the planned routing of the Fleet Line under the site, part of the station was built to allow a future interchange. This can be seen in the wide spaces on the Ludgate end of the station, where large doors open on to a corridor intended to lead to escalators to a Underground concourse level. It is still known today as the LUL corridor by staff.

When the Thameslink franchise was taken over by First Capital Connect on 1 April 2006 the name "Thameslink" was dropped from the branding of this group of services, but the name of City Thameslink station was not changed. Following criticism of the loss of a useful and distinctive name, FCC has somewhat relented and now refers to this group of services as its "Thameslink route".

As part of the Thameslink Programme, an upgrade of City Thameslink station was completed in October 2010. The platforms were made ready for future 12-car trains, and the passenger information system improved. New lighting and ticket gates were installed.

Services
The station is served by trains on the Thameslink route, whose franchise has been operated by First Capital Connect since 2006. There are two main service patterns: fast trains on the Brighton to Bedford service, and stopping trains between St Albans or Luton and or Sutton. All trains in both categories call at all stations on the central cross-London core of the Thameslink route, including City Thameslink. (However, at present there are no services on most weekends.)

There are also a few terminating peak-hour services from Kent provided by Southeastern and these are turned round in Smithfield sidings just north of the station. This practice will cease once the new Blackfriars station is completed under the Thameslink Programme.

After the bay platforms at London closed in March 2009 Southeastern services which previously terminated at Blackfriars were extended to Kentish Town, St Albans, Luton or Bedford and call at this station. Train services south of Blackfriars are operated by Southeastern, north of Blackfriars by First Capital Connect. Both Southeastern and FCC drivers work the route between Sevenoaks and Bedford. This station is now served by 10 trains per hour in each direction throughout the off-peak, instead of the previous eight.

Transport connections
London Buses routes 4, 11, 15, 17, 23, 26, 76, 100, 172 and night bus routes N11, N15, N21, N26, N47 and N76 serve the Ludgate Hill entrance to the station. Routes 8, 25, 242, 521 and night bus route N8 serve the Holborn Viaduct entrance.

Future
There are occasionally suggestions to link the station to the Tube network by providing pedestrian links to an existing station or even a new station on a potential extension to the Docklands Light Railway from Bank station to  via. If built, this extension would be entirely underground and would run along part of the originally intended route of the Jubilee line when it was known as the Fleet Line.

Gallery
Bahnhof City Thameslink Gare de City Thameslink Station City Thameslink City Thameslink stasjon