Blackfriars Station Beset By Delays

The completion date for the new, Thames-spanning station at Blackfriars has been pushed back by four months. Network Rail blamed the delay on additional repair work over Blackfriars bridge, which involves incorporating the adjacent, disused piers into a new cross-river structure. The cost of the project is also spiralling: a source at contractor Balfour Beatty, speaking to Building magazine, said that the final project cost had yet to be agreed, with the overspend currently rumoured to be around the £100 million mark. Blackfriars, which closed in early 2009, is now due to re-open in spring 2012, perilously close to the Olympic Games.