City Thameslink opened in 1990 to replace Holborn Viaduct railway station as part of the Thameslink project. It was originally named St Paul’s Thameslink, but to avoid confusion with the nearby St Paul’s tube station on the Central line, it was renamed City Thameslink the following year.
The Thameslink line opened in 1988 after the Snow Hill tunnel, closed to passengers since 1916, was re-opened to provide a through route to Farringdon and King’s Cross from South London. Holborn Viaduct closed on 26 January 1990. Initially, trains used the approach viaduct for the closed Holborn Viaduct station. The new service was an immediate financial success and it was decided to redevelop the Holborn Viaduct site with a new station and business complex.
Before Holborn Viaduct closed, a new line between Blackfriars and the tunnel was constructed on a different alignment slightly to the east and at a lower elevation, providing the opportunity to build 56 000 square metres of office space above the station.
