Making Hay At Blackfriars

Network Rail officially started construction at Blackfriars station yesterday, marking the milestone with a rather traditional ceremony.

With the Lord Mayor looking on, a bundle of straw was lowered from the bridge and suspended above the river - something that, under the old river byelaws, was required in order to demonstrate to river users that there may be restrictions on using that particular arch:

When the headroom of an arch or span of a bridge is reduced from its usual limits but that arch or span is not closed to navigation, the person in control of the bridge shall suspend from the centre of that arch or span by day a bundle of straw large enough to be conspicuous and by night a white light.

Sadly the current rules are, of course, slightly more mundane:

When the arch or span of a bridge is closed to navigation the person in control of the bridge shall suspend from the centre of that arch or span -
(a) By day, three red discs 0.6 metres in diameter at the points of an equilateral triangle with the apex downwards and the base horizontal;
(b) By night, three red lights in similar positions to the discs displayed by day.
(2) When the headroom of an arch or span of a bridge is reduced from its usual limits but that arch or span is not closed to navigation, the person in control of the bridge shall suspend from the centre of that arch or span by day a bundle of straw large enough to be conspicuous and by night a white light.

And I suspect that it is these that will be observed going forward, unless there is a particularly strong Straw Lobby within Parliament of which I'm currently unaware.

[UPDATE: The straw requirement is still actually on the books - I've expanded the above quote to show it. Looks like that Straw Lobby is indeed stronger than I thought. Thanks to the Anonymouses for the spot - JB]

The station rebuild is, of course, one of the key construction projects currently underway on the network. When completed, the new station will be the first to span the Thames and the first to provide new access to the South Bank in a century.

Obviously there is currently a great deal of disruption at the station, although the new temporary riverside entrance - which opened back in April - is a surprisingly useful addititon. Ultimately, however, it should hopefully all prove worthwhile when the project is finally completed.






Thanks to RB for the spot.