Local authority DfT category C1 | Station code CTK | |
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City Thameslink (/ˈsɪti ˈtɛmzlɪŋk/, also known as London City Thameslink) is a central London railway station with entrances on Ludgate Hill and Holborn Viaduct, within the City of London. Its platforms are underground. It is on the Thameslink route, situated between Blackfriars to the south and Farringdon to the north.
Contents
Before its opening in 1990, its site was intended for a station to be called Ludgate Circus on a cancelled extension of the London Underground's Jubilee line, and provision was made for the future station as part of the building works. When it opened, it was named St. Paul's Thameslink, but to avoid confusion with the nearby St. Paul's tube station on the Central line, it was renamed as City Thameslink in 1991.
Although it is a through-station, for ticketing purposes it is classed as a London terminus for journeys to and from the south. It is in Travelcard Zone 1.
History
The station was opened by British Rail on 29 May 1990 as St. Paul's Thameslink. The name was changed to City Thameslink in 1991 to avoid confusion with the St. Paul's Central line station on the London Underground, which is several hundred yards to the east, on the other side of St Paul's Cathedral.
When the Thameslink line opened, trains used the approach viaduct for a now-closed station called Holborn Viaduct to reach the Snow Hill tunnel. In preparation for that station's closure, on 26 January 1990, a new line between Blackfriars and the tunnel was constructed, this time on a different alignment slightly to the east and at a lower elevation, allowing buildings to be constructed above. City Thameslink was built as a replacement for the Holborn Viaduct station.
Due to the planned routing of the Fleet line (now the Jubilee) under the site, part of the station was built to allow for 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 an underground concourse level.
When the Thameslink franchise was awarded to First Capital Connect in 2006, the Thameslink service was initially re-branded, however, City Thameslink was not renamed. By late 2010, FCC reverted to the Thameslink name.
As part of the Thameslink Programme, an upgrade of City Thameslink station was completed in 2010. The platforms were made ready for future 12-carriage 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 on Mondays to Saturdays (it is closed on Sundays). This provides three main service patterns:
All trains call at all stations on the central cross-London core of the Thameslink route, being Blackfriars, Farringdon and St. Pancras).
After the bay platforms at Blackfriars closed in 2009, Southeastern services which previously terminated at Blackfriars were extended to Kentish Town, St Albans City, Luton or Bedford, and call at City Thameslink. On this route south of Blackfriars trains are operated by Southeastern, north of Blackfriars by Thameslink. Both Southeastern and Thameslink 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.
Connections
London Buses routes 4; 11; 15; 17; 23; 26; 76; 100; 172 and heritage route 15H and night routes N11, N15, N21, N26, N76 and N199 serve the Ludgate Hill entrance to the station and routes 8; 25; 242; 521 and night route N8 serve the Holborn Viaduct entrance.