Farringdon Station
Farringdon Station is one of those places that you either know well or have no idea where it is located. If you know it because you have used it while travelling, you will be well aware that it is very old and very shabby. All that is being changed as it gears up to take its place in the 21st century.
Not only is it served by three underground railway lines - Circle; Hammersmith and City; and Metropolitan - but it is also on the Thameslink railway route - between Brighton and Luton.
Farringdon station is set to become one of the most important railway interchanges in the country. Located just north of the City's financial district, it will provide the 'crossroads' between Thameslink and Crossrail, making the station a doubly busy destination.
Once the main construction work is completed, Crossrail intends to build retail space on top of the new joint ticket hall to help fund their project. The Thameslink work has had to incorporate a lot of stage-setting for the deeper Crossrail line, such as foundation construction and dropping lift shafts.
New Entrance for Thameslink
The station entrance in the picture is part of the old original underground entrance in Cowcross Street. Either side of the entrance are Victorian shop-fronts which are being cleaned up to extend their lives.
On the opposite of the short street, a new, large, modern entrance has been added to Farringdon Station, ready to serve the Thameslink Line and, in 2018, the additional Crossrail platforms. The new entrance, looking rather bare at the moment, was opened on 12 December 2011. As time goes by, additional shops will be added.
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