Reconstruction of Blackfriars railway bridge, London, UK

Abstract

Blackfriars in the City of London, UK, is steeped in history and has undergone massive changes since the arrival of the railway in 1864. This made access to the city available to the masses, and demand has grown ever since. This paper charts the changes to the railway hub, focusing on the bridges that were built to cross the Thames and the recently completed project to upgrade Blackfriars railway bridge, as well as the mainline and underground stations. The bridge has been strengthened, partially reconstructed and renovated to cope with the demands of the twenty-first century, but remains founded on the original 1886 substructure and supported on the original wrought-iron arches. It now carries the first station to span the river, with entrances on both south and north banks. The paper describes some of the technical challenges encountered during the project and how a collaborative approach between the engineers of Network Rail, its contractors and designers resulted in an impressive feat of engineering.