Blackfriars tube station
Circle line and District line · Zone 1 · City of London
About Blackfriars station
The Underground got here first. The Metropolitan District Railway opened its station on the north bank on 30 May 1870, before any main-line station existed on the site. The London, Chatham and Dover Railway’s terminus, called St. Paul’s, followed on 10 May 1886 with its own bridge across the Thames, and on 13 November that year a direct connection linked it to the District station below, an interchange none of the company’s other stations enjoyed. When the Central line’s Post Office station was renamed St Paul’s, the Southern Railway renamed its terminus Blackfriars on 1 February 1937, giving the main-line and Underground stations the same name.
The station was rebuilt from 1971 with offices above. It proved a difficult job: the old building had stood over a cold store that had frozen the ground, and the District line tunnel had to be removed and replaced with a new supporting structure. The Lord Mayor formally reopened it on 30 November 1977, though it had never actually closed. A £500 million rebuild between 2009 and 2012 then created a combined main-line and Underground ticket hall and gave the sub-surface platforms of the District and Circle lines a major upgrade, while the main-line platforms were extended across the river, making this the only station in London whose platforms span the Thames.
First and last trains from Blackfriars
| Line and direction | Mon–Thu first – last | Friday first – last | Saturday first – last | Sunday first – last |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle towards Hammersmith (Circle and H&C lines), Aldgate or Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:52 to Aldgate – 00:28 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:52 to Aldgate – 00:28 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:52 to Aldgate – 00:28 to Edgware Road (Circle line) | 07:30 to Aldgate – 00:03 |
| Circle towards Edgware Road (Circle line) | 05:36 – 00:16 | 05:36 – 00:16 | 05:36 – 00:16 | 07:09 – 23:55 |
| District towards Wimbledon, Ealing Broadway or Richmond | 05:45 to Richmond – 00:33 to Ealing Broadway | 05:45 to Richmond – 00:33 to Ealing Broadway | 05:45 – 00:33 to Ealing Broadway | 07:01 to Richmond – 23:57 |
| District towards Upminster, Tower Hill or Barking | 05:30 – 00:43 | 05:30 – 00:43 | 05:30 – 00:43 | 06:57 – 00:07 |
Times are TfL’s published timetable departures from this station; on Saturday the list follows TfL’s “Saturdays and public holidays” timetable.
At the busiest hour on a weekday there are up to 7 Circle trains an hour per direction and 23 District trains an hour per direction from Blackfriars, counting both directions separately.
Next stations from Blackfriars
Running times between Blackfriars and the adjoining stations, from TfL’s timetable.
| Line | Next station | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | Mansion House | 1.9 min |
| Circle | Temple | 1.4 min |
| District | Mansion House | 1.7 min |
| District | Temple | 1.5 min |
Connections
- Tube: change here between the Circle line and District line.
- Buses: 40, 63 (night buses N63, N89).
- National Rail: Southeastern and Thameslink.
Station facilities
What is near Blackfriars station
The north-bank entrance is on Queen Victoria Street, with a statue of Queen Victoria only about 70 m away, while a second entrance, opened in 2011, stands on the South Bank beside Blackfriars Road. Thameslink and Southeastern trains connect here, and Blackfriars Millennium Pier, next to the station, has river services to Putney and Canary Wharf. On the City side, St Andrew by the Wardrobe Garden (180 m), the churchyard of St Ann Blackfriars (200 m), the Bridewell Theatre (220 m) and St Bride Library (230 m) are all close, as are the Bazalgette Embankment (200 m) and the Whitefriars Crypt (310 m).
| Place | Walk from the station |
|---|---|
| Queen Victoria (statue) | 70 m |
| St Andrew by the Wardrobe Garden | 180 m |
| St Anne Blackfriars Ireland Yard | 190 m |
| Churchyard of St. Ann Blackfriars | 200 m |
| Bazalgette Embankment | 200 m |
| Bridewell Theatre | 220 m |
| St Bride Library | 230 m |
| Whitefriars Crypt | 310 m |
Frequently asked questions
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway opened its main-line terminus here as St. Paul’s on 10 May 1886. The Southern Railway renamed it Blackfriars on 1 February 1937, partly to avoid confusion with the Central line’s St Paul’s station and partly so that the main-line and Underground stations shared one name.
Yes. Its main-line platforms run along Blackfriars Railway Bridge, the only station in London to span the river, with entrances on both banks. The Underground platforms of the District and Circle lines lie below the north-bank entrance on Queen Victoria Street.