Nope, the above image isn't a mock up of the latest Crossrail station; it shows what part of the new Museum of London might feature — namely real-life moving* Thameslink trains.
Visitors to the Smithfield attraction — due to open in 2022 — will be able to ogle glum suits en route to Luton Airport Parkway. But it works both ways, and train passengers would be able to see museum artefacts whiz by their window. Pretty neat.
We've spoken to the museum, and they've confirmed it's something they're discussing with Network Rail. As much as we'd love this to be a goer, a couple of concerns spring to mind: *Thameslink has chronic delay issues, meaning that at the drop of a signal failure, commuters could turn into sentient mannequins, while Italian schoolkids flip them the bird from the other side of the glass.
The Thameslink line runs 24 hours a day, so it's unclear how major reconstruction of the tunnel could be achieved without causing further disruption.
We were also reminded of the serious flooding on the Thameslink route in 2015 (wouldn't it be fascinating to watch as the water gradually rose); does Network Rail really want to offer a window into the route's various mishaps? We hope so.
The train viewing area is one of many mouth-watering proposals vaunted by the Museum of London. It also hopes to have a well that reaches down to the culverted River Fleet (a side-branch, and not the main sewer, we hope), and to commission the last ever bell to be cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry. We are very excited, frankly.
