Blackfriars railway station in the center of London is taking on a massive solar project. In early October of 2011 a monumental energy project began, the goal, to place 4,400 solar panels. The goal of this project is to reduce their carbon emissions by 25 percent, which is a hefty goal, but along with other projects being undertaken by the railway line it seems a good possibility.
A major renovation project is sweeping London under the name the Thameslink Programme where the goal is to better develop the north south railway communications throughout London. The Blackfriars Bridge project is not only going to receive the 4,400 solar panels but will also see an extension of their platforms to accommodate another 14 train cars, a rain harvesting system and what are called “sun pipes” that allow natural light into the station.
Blackfriars Bridge was chosen as the first to receive these renovations as it is also one of the busiest rail stations in London as it is the only centrally located London station that offers through service from Brighton to Bedford. The project is set to be completed in 2012 and if done on time it will make Blackfriars Bridge the largest solar bridge in the world.
Blackfriars is not the only solar bridge project that has been undertaken in recent years though, in June 2011 a tunnel from Amsterdam to Paris, two miles long was covered in over 16,000 solar panels and the Kurilpa Footbridge in Brisbane was also completed in 2009.
The Blackfriars Bridge was originally opened for public use in 1769; unfortunately the original bridge was faulty and required major renovations within 50 years of being built. Due to the amount of maintenance required to make the bridge usable it was decided to replace the bridge and this new bridge was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1869. The bridge is 923 feet long and has five iron arches that extend gracefully over the Thames.
The Blackfriar gained notoriety in 1982 when it was believed an Italian banker hanged himself from one of the arches, although it was later ruled as a murder. The bridge’s name and visage has also been used in various plays, songs, books and movies.
“Thameslink Programme” Thameslink
Susan DeFriatas “BlackFriars Bridge” HuffPost