THE UNDERGROUND station at London Blackfriars was back in business yesterday, waved on its way by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. He praised its modern smartness, although some passengers from the FCC platforms above wondered how to find it.

Mr Johnson, who faces the verdict of Londoners at the ballot box this spring, has been attending a series of transport-related events as his electoral campaign continues. He has just unveiled a new tram for Croydon and, earlier this month, celebrated the reopening of the London Underground booking hall at Farringdon.

Blackfriars 'tube' – strictly a subsurface station – has been closed for almost three years, and was originally scheduled to reopen late last year.

Trains on the District and Circle Lines had been able to continue running through without stopping during the closure, encased in a protective cage.

This protection shielded them from the major works going on above, where Network Rail is well on the way to completing a new station for First Capital Connect Thameslink services which now straddles the river and has entrances on both banks. The completed National Rail station is on course to be completed this summer, but the temporary nature of some of the signage left passengers on the FCC platforms confused on the opening day, with no obvious route indicated to the newly-restored Underground station below.

The latest stage of progress at Blackfriars also included the unveiling of a major new concourse for the north bank entrance, with a large circulating area.

Meanwhile, First Capital Connect said the temporary signage to the Underground station from its platforms was being improved, until new, permanent signs could be installed in a few months from now.