"Clive Page" wrote in message
...
On 20/02/2012 10:38, David Cantrell wrote:
Blackfriars underground station has re-opened a week early.

It's still a pretty unpleasant place to change from tube to NR, as I found
out yesterday.

The tube station is indeed much improved and has a new set of escalators
up to ground level, replacing the old ones. But then to get to the
Thameslink platforms, instead of the old staircase of half-a-dozen short
flights, there is a new staircase. I suppose the only advantage is that
the new one is a straight run, so you can see how long it is (equivalent
to going up to the 3rd floor, I'd guess). There is a lift, but I didn't
consider it as I was in a hurry to catch a train. I suppose there may be
escalators planned, but I couldn't work out where they might be located.

There are definitely escalators both sides, even if not currently visible.
On the southbound side the escalators are either side of the staircase
within a common structure; on the northbound side the stairs are completely
separate, the escalators run parallel to the stairs but are about 10m nearer
the centre of the station (ie further to the east and broadly inline with
the end of the bay platforms). There are also two lifts either side of the
north station, those for the northbound side (and the bays) are between the
stairs and escalators, IYSWIM...

To get your bearings, the tops and bottoms of all the lifts and stairs are
broadly in line with one another if you imagined lines joining them right
across the concourse and platforms at 90 degrees to the line of the
bridge...

Paul S