Blackfriars railway bridge reopens following final monitoring

10/01/2012

The major engineering works on London's Blackfriars station and railway bridge have reached completion, following extensive track monitoring, allowing for the new station to be the first in London that spans the Thames.

The work on the bridge has been a feat of major engineering prowess, and required consideration of a major river bridge, a main line rail station, a London Underground station and another underbridge over a busy thoroughfare, according to The Railway Engineer publication.

The work on the major London transport hub required the realignment of an exceptionally busy railway layout, with engineers using the most advanced surveying equipment and track monitoring technology. The work was started in 2008 and has been carried out while still permitting rail traffic in and out of Blackfriars station, and without disrupting road or river traffic below it.

Network Rail's project director for the works, Lindsay Vamplew, said that the team working on the project were in need of hearty congratulations for completing the work, which has seen the bridge repaired, strengthened and widened.

Due to the bridge's origins in the Victoria era, none of the dimensions of it are standardised, which meant that the precise surveying of all of its dimensions was more essential than ever.