Blackfriars to Bedford

Our Cab Ride from London Blackfriars to Bedford puts you in prime position at the front of a Class 700 of Thameslink. These ultra-modern trains began coming into service in 2016, and ours is an eight carriage 700/0. 

The journey starts at London Blackfriars station, set on a bridge over the River Thames. We immediately dive underground, heading north through Snow Hill Tunnel, opened by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway, to connect with London’s first railway, the Metropolitan, at Farringdon Station. Our subterranean world leads us to St. Pancras where we join the Midland Railway’s 1868 extension from Bedford. 

There’s a myriad of lines to navigate around before we can begin to pick up speed, and we eventually make it to surface level before West Hampstead station. Shortly afterwards, we’ll be free to accelerate to the line’s maximum of 90 miles and hour on the down slow, with stops at St. Albans, Harpenden, Luton Airport, Luton, Leagrave, Harlington and Flitwick, before our arrival on platform 1 at Bedford.

As you’d expect on this busy line, there’s a lot of traffic to see on the way, and alongside full, knowledgeable commentary you’ll be kept aware of speed limits and signal aspects with our dedicated on-screen graphics. If you’d prefer to listen to the natural sounds of the journey there’s even an option to turn the commentary off. The weather is excellent for the trip, with good views of everything around.

This Cab Ride provides a rare opportunity to enjoy a driver’s eye view of one of the most historic main lines heading north out of London.