Blackfriars to close for over two years

TBH that's old news; it was announced by TfL some weeks ago.

I'm sure it will have been mentioned here before - maybe Colin can find a previous thread!

The original announcement was made on 5 August 2008 and more can be read at www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/8944.aspx

I'm sure it has too Dave, but nothing springs immediately to mind

As things currently stand, there has been no mention of closing any part of the District/Circle lines for these works - only the station will be closed with trains running through, but non-stopping.

The Fleet crossing under the District line is PC44 an 8 foot diameter cast iron pipe from the 1880s. Cast iron from that era is well known to suffer from sudden to brittle failure under shock load. It's one of the few such remaining structures on the network considered to be a high risk.

Its also connected to storm overflow conduits located in the abutments of Blackfriars Bridge. The overflows are protected from flooding from the Thames by hinged doors. The doors can only be pushed open from internal pressure when the Fleet sewer is surcharged. That is until the seals around the doors failure and the Thames can flood the District line at high tide as happened in the 1990s. I was also told of an occassion when a LUL graduate engineer was supervising core drilling samples into the pipe and forgot to have the holes plugged at the end of his shift.

These three stations are only really busy at peak times and even not over crowded, I'd say both Temple and Mansion House will easily manage.

With the weekend engineering works the station will actually close after the last train this Friday 27th and not "from Monday 2 March. . . " as all the posters say!

Ah but did the previously stated plans include the Network Rail works?

Took a final look around the station today with the camera. I'm gonna miss those yellow platform area finishes and orange ticket hall - pure 1970s! Also one of the last station modernisations to be signed in upper case original Johnston font.

www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/

Of course, this means changing at Temple for an onward journey if on a Mansion House train - that could mean manual announcements.

This one's quite easy; you just hit the station closed button when leaving the previous station - though admittedly it would be nice if the DVA were updated to save the effort ;D ;D ;D

Also, there's 482 which is the same as Cannon Street's 499

To be fair here, this closure & refurb is being done because of Network Rail's works above so you can't lay the blame at LU or Metronet's doors.

As for Aldgate East & Mile End, they suffered as a direct result of Metronet's collapse - that's probably a whole new thread in it's own right!!

Yes and no!!

All drivers have been issued with a book containing most of the code numbers, but there is nothing online that I know of.

There are far too many codes to type out, so the book would have to be scanned - not a big issue in itself - but that could lead to a breech of the forum rules! ;D ;D ;D ;D

Whilst it doesn't state anywhere within the aforementioned book that it's for internal use only, I wonder how happy District line management would be if we were to allow the whole book to be scanned onto here.

Hmm......I shall see if I can seek some advice.

EDIT: Following discussion amongst the Admins, it has been decided that the DVA code numbers will not be published on this forum.

To do so would effectively break our own rules and could lead to other documents being published which, although are possibly quite reasonable and not particularly sensitive, would leave us open to having to constantly decide each posting on it's own merits.

The blanket ban on reproducing any LU internal document has served us well for some years now and has not been detrimental to the forum's continued growth and so we are happy to continue with the status quo.

Which (what) book is this Colin?
I don't recall being issued/having seen the same.

I just thought Id add my two pence seeing as I work on the FCC side of Blackfriars. The rebuilding of Blackfriars is a huge project thats still not fully set what things are going to be like by the end of the finished engineering works. Ie the northern gateline in the glass building still may be an FCC or LU controlled one. In fact the stone station names by the main gateline at platforms 1-4 still hasn't got a new place to go. I recently was discussing this with the people incharge and there isn't plan for these as yet so things are developing as the station is being ripped apart.

As for why should the station close, basically they are going to encase the track and gut the entire station. Without putting this protection in place work can't go forward with work upstairs like the new concourse for FCC. The Tube line runs roughly from the north end (towards City Thameslink) of Platform 5 through where the gateline is for platforms 1-4 and under the ticket office. as you can image there is alot of work to demolish all this and rebuilt.

Come late 2011 (I think dec for full station opening) there will be lifts and esclators from the District/Circle platforms to street level as well as the Mainline side. The passages under the road will also have been rebuilt and provide for a much friendly atmosphere that currently exists. Better for everyone.

Just a point that within the next 12 months everything that currently on Blackfriars station wont be there in a year!

Thanks Colin

I nicked a cab ride on the way in today and the UPM driver had a copy so I knew what I was asking for.
The DMT's didn't have any but I spoke to Steve S and he had a pile so I got one and will have great fun playing over the coming days.
He did say that if anyone needed a copy - I think this will be restricted to LU DR t/ops ;D - see him.