02 SUSTAINABILITYSUPPLEMENT Paul Byrne


Senior Project Manager for Blackfriars, Network Rail


Bridging the energy gap at


Blackfriars


In October 2011, work started to construct the biggest solar array in London. Unlike other large-scale solar energy projects, many of which sit in open spaces in rural areas, London’s new array is located right in the heart of the city. The solar cells are being installed above Blackfriars rail bridge, as part of Network Rail’s ambitious plan to completely rebuild the central-London station, and the railway that runs through it.


Blackfriars is a Victorian station, right in the centre of London, a short distance from St Paul’s Cathedral. It sits at the heart of the Thameslink route, which runs between Bedford, north of London, through tunnels under the centre of the capital, and on to Brighton on the UK’s south coast. Blackfriars station was built on the north bank of the Thames to serve the city, connected to stations south of the river by Blackfriars rail bridge, which spans the river.


A plan for the Thameslink route The Thameslink route is afflicted by a condition common to many parts of the UK’s rail network – growing passenger numbers combining with constraints on capacity to cause overcrowding. Much of the railway on which Thameslink trains run was constructed well over 120 years ago, based on very different technology and in response to much lower levels of demand. Today, despite numerous past upgrades and


European Railway Review Volume 18, Issue 1, 2012


improvements, the route struggles to keep pace with increasing demand, fuelled by the growth of London. Passengers struggle to get seats at rush hour, and the network is not robust enough in response to delays. Victorian infrastructure, such as the rail bridge at Blackfriars, form obstinate bottlenecks that need to be tackled in order to unlock capacity and provide enough seats for commuters. Currently, the Thameslink route can cope


with a maximum of 15 8-carriage trains every hour (in each direction) through the central- London section between Blackfriars and St Pancras. The plan for Thameslink involves upgrading the infrastructure to cope with 12-carriage trains, up 50% from the current 8-carriage maximum. The upgrade will also mean trains can run more frequently. Before Thameslink began, only eight trains an hour could run through the central section of the route. That’s now increased to 15, and is set to


increase to 16 next spring. When work to upgrade London Bridge station is complete in 2018, 24 trains an hour will run on the central section, transforming the route from a medium- frequency suburban service into a metro-style central London connection. In order to accommodate longer trains and


more frequent services, Blackfriars is undergoing a complete rebuild. It’s location on the north bank of the river Thames, squeezed between the City of London, the Capital’s historic financial district, and the River Thames, leave very little room for expansion. In order to lengthen the platforms to accommodate 12-car trains, Network Rail is extending the platforms south, over the river, across Blackfriars rail bridge. Blackfriars Bridge will in effect become the railway station, with four platforms on the bridge accessed from entrances on both the south and north banks, making Blackfriars the only station in London to span the Thames. As part of the station rebuild, a new roof is being constructed over the bridge, and that’s where the solar scheme comes in.


Solar power The new roof at Blackfriars is composed of south facing bays, which will accommodate 4,400 solar


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