City Thameslink | |
|---|---|
 Looking south from the station | |
  City Thameslink Location of City Thameslink in Central London | |
| Location | Holborn Viaduct /Ludgate Hill |
| Local authority | City of London |
| Managed by | Thameslink |
| Owner | |
| Station code | CTK |
| DfT category | C1 |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| Accessible | Yes[1] |
| Fare zone | 1 |
| National Rail annual entry and exit | |
| 2020–21 |  0.974 million[2] |
| – interchange | 12[2] |
| 2021–22 |  2.995 million[2] |
| – interchange | 37[2] |
| 2022–23 | 6.439 million[2] |
| – interchange | 1,984[2] |
| 2023–24 | 7.040 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.286 million[2] |
| 2024–25 | 7.636 million[2] |
| – interchange | 0.298 million[2] |
| Key dates | |
| 29 May 1990 | Opened asSt. Paul's Thameslink |
| 30 September 1991 | RenamedCity Thameslink |
| Other information | |
| External links | |
| Coordinates | 51°30′59″N0°06′13″W / 51.5163°N 0.1037°W /51.5163; -0.1037 |
 London transport portal | |
City Thameslink is acentral London railway station within theCity of London, with entrances onLudgate Hill andHolborn Viaduct. The station is on theThameslink route betweenBlackfriars to the south andFarringdon to the north.
The station opened in 1990 to replaceHolborn Viaduct railway station. It was part of theThameslink project that re-opened theSnow Hill Tunnel to provide a continuous north–south route across London. Originally namedSt. Paul's Thameslink, it was renamedCity Thameslink the following year to avoid confusion with the nearbySt Paul's tube station on theCentral line (note thatout-of-station interchange discount does not apply for changing between these two stations). The station was refurbished in 2010–11 to increase capacity, and the timetable was revised in 2018 with the introduction of automatic signalling.
The station is near the western edge of theCity of London, close to its border with theCity of Westminster. It has two entrances, one onLudgate Hill and another onHolborn Viaduct, both of which access the two platforms.[3] It is one of the few main line stations in central London that does not have an interchange with theLondon Underground; it is roughly equidistant fromChancery Lane andSt Paul's on theCentral line.[4] A planned Tube station in the immediate area, to be namedLudgate Circus, was ultimately never built.[5]
Although City Thameslink is a through station, for ticketing purposes it is classed as a London terminus for Thameslink services to and from the south; for services from the north it is a Thameslink Terminal station, which is a different fare.[6] It is inLondon fare zone 1 and one of the "core stations" on the Thameslink route, along withSt Pancras,Farringdon andBlackfriars.[7] The name has come in for criticism as being uninspiring.[8]
London Buses routes8,15,17,25,26,40,46,59,63,76,133,341 and night routesN8,N15,N21,N25,N26,N63,N199,N242,N550 andN551 serve the station.[9][10]
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The Thameslink line opened in 1988 after theSnow Hill tunnel, closed to passengers since 1916, was re-opened to provide a through route to Farringdon and King's Cross from South London. Initially, trains used the approach viaduct for the now-closedHolborn Viaduct station.[13] The new service was an immediate financial success, and it was decided to redevelop the Holborn Viaduct site with a new station and business complex. The work was part-financed by the London property developerRosehaugh Stanhope.[13]
When Holborn Viaduct station closed, a new line betweenBlackfriars and the tunnel was constructed on a different alignment slightly to the east and at a lower elevation, providing the opportunity to build 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) of office space above the new station on a 4-acre (1.6 ha) site.[14] City Thameslink was built to replace Holborn Viaduct station and is partly on the site of the old station. The total cost was estimated at £360–£450 million.[15][14] Because of a proposed routing for the second phase of theJubilee line through the area, part of the station was built to allow for a future interchange.[16]
Holborn Viaduct closed on 26 January 1990.[14] The following May, all Thameslink services were suspended for 17 days so that demolition work could be carried out.[17]
The station was opened byBritish Rail on 29 May 1990 asSt. Paul's Thameslink, and was renamed asCity Thameslink on 30 September 1991[18] to avoid confusion with theSt Paul's station on the London UndergroundCentral line (which is several hundred yards to the east, to the north ofSt Paul's Cathedral).[19] It was the first mainline station built in central London in almost 100 years.[15] The station was designed by SAS International, who designed the original walls and panelling.[20]
In conjunction with construction of the new station, the area around the old Holborn Viaduct and Ludgate Hill stations was redeveloped, and an old bridge across Ludgate Hill was removed.[21] In 1992, following the demolition, an additional service tunnel was constructed connecting City Thameslink toFarringdon.[22]
When the Thameslink franchise was awarded toFirst Capital Connect (FCC) in 2006, the Thameslink service was re-branded but City Thameslink was not renamed. By late 2010, FCC had reverted to the Thameslink name.[23]
As part of theThameslink Programme, an upgrade of City Thameslink station was completed in 2010. The upgrade was important because the closure of Blackfriars later in the year would lead to increased footfall. The platforms were made ready for future 12-carriage trains, and the passenger information system improved. New lighting, ticket gates and CCTV cameras were installed, and the service announcement system was upgraded to provide more accurate train times.[24] SAS retrofitted the station interior, as they had done for the original 1990 construction, with enamel wall panels that fitted the original design specification.[20]
In a 2014 report,London TravelWatch suggested an underground passageway linking City Thameslink toSt Paul's tube station to provide an interchange with the Central line that would benefit passengers travelling from the Central line catchment to Gatwick and Luton Airports.[25]
In 2018, Govia Thameslink Railway announced a major timetable change, which was implemented that May. The changes included a half-hour service across Central London, connecting City Thameslink withGatwick Airport andLuton Airport Parkway.[26] The signalling was upgraded to supportautomatic train operation through the station, along with the rest of the core Thameslink route,[27] andBritish Rail Class 700 trains were introduced into the service.[28] The following January, several evening services from City Thameslink toSt Albans andHarpenden were reinstated, after a six-month absence.[29]
City Thameslink is served by trains operated byThameslink on theThameslink Route which run Monday-Saturday only, with the station being closed on Sundays. Train services are operated usingClass 700Desiro CityEMUs.[30]
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[31]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thameslink Monday-Saturday only | ||||
City Thameslink serves as thelost property office of the Thameslink line. A fee is charged for retrieving property.[32]
