City Thameslink station

All ten escalators at City Thameslink station will be replaced during a planned closure of the station from 17 May to late December 2027.

The existing escalators are reaching the end of their operational life and can no longer provide the long-term reliability passengers expect.

City Thameslink’s escalators have been installed for more than 35 years and are becoming increasingly unreliable. Some were also severely damaged in spring 2025 by severe flooding and have had to be taken out of service indefinitely. They can no longer provide the long-term reliability passengers expect.

We have been developing plans for a major programme of work to renew and replace all of the escalators to deliver a lasting solution. All ten escalators will be completely replaced between mid-May and late-December 2027 as we close City Thameslink station.

We recognise this will be disruptive, but a full closure is the safest, quickest and most efficient way to complete the work. It will significantly reduce the overall duration of the project compared with conducting the work while the station remains open and it meets safety requirements that would not be possible under a partial closure approach.

What are we doing?

City Thameslink station will close from Monday 17 May 2027 until late-December 2027.

All ten escalators will be replaced while the station is closed. Our work will not impact the track, and Thameslink services will continue to operate as normal and timetable changes are limited to trains not calling at City Thameslink.

When City Thameslink reopens in December 2027, customers will benefit from completely renewed escalators designed to provide safer, more dependable and more accessible journeys for decades to come.

Will Thameslink services still run?

Yes, trains will still be running across central London as normal but will pass through without calling at City Thameslink station.

There may be some weekends when there will be no trains through the central London section because of other planned engineering work taking place. Please check with national rail or Thameslink.

Why is the closure so long?

Specialist engineers will spend around seven months replacing each of the ten escalators across the station.

Replacing an escalator is a major engineering project. The existing escalators are large, heavy machines located deep within the station, and each component must be carefully removed in sections.

The new escalators, made up of substantial machinery and equipment, are then brought into the station and installed piece by piece.

Before they can be used by passengers, they will undergo extensive testing to ensure they meet the highest safety and reliability standards.

Why close the whole station?

A full station closure allows the project to be delivered safely, efficiently and in the shortest possible time.

It would not be safe or practical to do this work while trying to keep the station open as usual, and it would also increase the amount of time that it would take to get the work finished.

Because the station is underground, there are strict rules surrounding fire-safety. Keeping the station partially open with fewer exit points available for emergency evacuations would not have been acceptable.

A single extended closure like this is less disruptive overall than several years of phased works and repeated and different restrictions at the station. 

What are the alternative stations?

• Blackfriars station is the most convenient alternative and is just a six-minute walk from the Ludgate Hill (south) entrance of City Thameslink and approximately 11 minutes walk from the Holborn Viaduct (north) end of City Thameslink. The station has plenty of space to cope with additional passengers and is the recommended alternative option.
• While Farringdon station is around a 12-minute walk from the north entrance of City Thameslink, this station gets very busy, so we’re not advising that as an alternative. The station is already very busy, so delays entering and exiting are likely, especially during peak times.

London Blackfriars and Farringdon stations provide step-free access between the platforms and street level.

Additional staff will be available to support passengers throughout the closure and to manage increased passenger numbers at London Blackfriars station.

Is ticket acceptance in place?

Yes. Please visit the Thameslink website for the latest information and advice on ticket acceptance.

Contact us 

For more information or to get in touch with us, please contact us by visiting our contact us page or by calling our 24-hour national helpline on 03457 11 41 41.