please empty your brain below
Excellent stuff, fantastic photos. Looks good. Wish I'd been there today, but was in Somerset instead. Popped in on Thursday evening when they were saying on the radio that it had been 'opened', but this was clearly a hoax. It was open only to the likes of the Secretary of State for Transport and Network Rail bigwigs. Of course it remains to be seen if the doomsayers are proved right about pedestrian flows and so on.

Lorenzo | 18.03.12 - 9:36 p.m. | #

Ah, so they actually did have a secret soft launch, then!

swirlythingy | Homepage | 18.03.12 - 11:16 p.m. | #

My flatmate and I went along for a look this evening, and first impressions are that it's a job well done at what was before a fairly neglected station. The roof is as soaring as it is wow-inducing, and the beauty of the original station's brickwork is something I've only just appreciated.

I do agree about the walk to the tube though - living in Kings Cross I do know to avoid the Chinese-tunnel-torture that is the new back interchange subway. But not everyone is going to know to head towards the Euston Road exit (especially given the misleading signage). Poor people, at least they'll have calf muscles ready for the shot-put at the Olympics.

Adam | 19.03.12 - 2:18 a.m. | #

As a regular long-distance traveller through Kings Cross, I'm ecstatic that they's separating departures from arrivals. Getting from Platform 0 to the St Pancras HS1 platforms at 4.30 on a Friday afternoon was always a nightmare, even when they put in the walkway in front of the main screen on the KX concourse.

I hope there are more seats. I always pop over Euston Road to get a Chinese when I'm waiting for a departure, so I need somewhere to sit and eat it!

Mark | Homepage | 19.03.12 - 6:35 a.m. | #

Popped down myself yesterday in anticipation of the rumoured 'soft launch' and I wasn't wrong.

Superb architecture and a first class restoration of the existing parts of the station. I particularly liked the Parcel Yard pub - anyone notice the slightly-more-modern-era luggage racks complete with suitcases bolted onto the pub interior walls?

Just two criticisms - There's nothing to help panicked passengers heading from the suburban platforms for that gap that used to lead to the main shed when faced with a blank wall and telling them they now have to walk about 100m right down to the new dateline. The directions to platforms 0-8 are a little confusing given that there's two routes with the second via the mezzanine and that lovely curvy bridge not immediately obvious - and I wonder how that narrow bridge across the concourse will cope with a big rush (at least it's only one-way). Oh and a third - the new Underground entrances are hidden behind all the shops and that new single tidal flow escalator has a nice big sign at the top telling you this is the Underground but nothing to say 'don't use me' until you get to see the escalator is depositing people at your feet.

All-in-all though worth a special trip just to admire the effort and the style.

I was puzzled about the purpose of hollowing out the ground floor of the Great Nothern Hotel - is this to provide a walking route when the new Western Concourse is closed (there are roller shutter doors at all the entrance archways)? I don't see the point as it is not a significantly greater distance round the outside of the hotel building. There are some nice information displays tucked in that undercroft though - look out for the one with a group photo of all the folks who worked on the project.

Stephen Hosking | 19.03.12 - 7:35 a.m. | #

Sorry about the (non-Freudian) slip above where I implied that the new gates to platforms 0-8 might have a dual purpose.

Stephen Hosking | 19.03.12 - 7:42 a.m. | #

Back to the future?

In Victorian times, most terminals, including King's Cross, were built with seperate arrival and departure sides.

Tony Martin | 19.03.12 - 7:48 a.m. | #

Oh before I forget - unlike DG I got to use the toilet for free as the gate wasn't switched over to take money despite lots of people fiddling around for change and walking to the change machine. The toilet floor being nice light grey stone was looking ugly already with lots of splashed water turning it dark grey but hopefully the colour will turn over time rather than this being an unexpected designn flaw!

Stephen Hosking | 19.03.12 - 7:49 a.m. | #

Some nice photos dg, thanks. I like the light and spacious appearance of the new extension. I wonder what it is like inside at night under artificial light. The cafes on the upper floors I guess give some idea of what Waterloo station might be like after the upper floor there is finished.

John | 19.03.12 - 7:59 a.m. | #

@Mark with his Chinese: then I hope there are plenty of bins as well !

I wonder if the angry mother goes to airports and complains they are like bloody railway stations.....

@Stephen Hoskin - I, for one, enjoyed your Freudian slip !

Paul | 19.03.12 - 9:00 a.m. | #

..but what does Harry Potter think about the changes and will he still be able to find his Platform 9 3/4 ?

Brian | 19.03.12 - 9:15 a.m. | #

I'm going to be catching a train out of Kings Cross at the end of the month (and back in again) and am looking forward to trying out this arrivals/departure thing.

Kings Cross of old though was the perfect example of a failed station and the fact that intercity and commuter is very well split in the station layout makes this so much easier to implement and I'm sure it will do well once people are used to it.

Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 19.03.12 - 9:33 a.m. | #

You correctly describe the new King's Cross as being designed on the lines of an airport. Believe it or not there were plans at one time to build an airport at King's Cross:
http://on.fb.me/xiN6jV

London Remembers | Homepage | 19.03.12 - 9:41 a.m. | #

Furious that I missed the station opening by only a week. Equally furious that I'm stuck with Euston as my London station for another decade while the East Coasters roll around in the new King's Cross.

Can't wait to visit it myself...

Scott | Homepage | 19.03.12 - 9:52 a.m. | #

Presumably the buses are still dropping passengers on York Way? So I'll have to walk all the way around the outside of the station to get to St Pancras rather then nipping through. Great.

Andrew | 19.03.12 - 10:05 a.m. | #

Duty-Free soon on the flights to Scotland no doubt.

Kim | 19.03.12 - 11:27 a.m. | #

I wonder why they charge 30p for the toilets when across the road at St Pancras they are free.

Chris | 19.03.12 - 12:54 p.m. | #

But surely the bulk of departing travellers will go through the wider gateline on the ground floor and collide with the mass of arriving passengers heading out of the 0-8 exit,,,

Audrey | 19.03.12 - 3:41 p.m. | #

Audrey, lots of people seem to be worried about that. But I hung around for an our at rush-hour this evening and there didn't seem to be a problem at all. The increased space in front of the platforms helps, and there are only so many trains arriving and departing within a given period. Also, lots of people are using the new bridge, which helps too.

Arkady | 19.03.12 - 7:59 p.m. | #

+1 for Scott - Euston is an awfully stressful place to have to go through, wish that was the one they'd done now rather than KX, which I seldom have cause to use. Looks nice though and I'll try and find an excuse to swing by and have a closer look.

If you want to see a station that really feels like an airport try Belfast Central.

Alan | 19.03.12 - 11:31 p.m. | #

Caught a train from King's Cross today and arrived a little early to have a look. Must say, I am rather impressed - much better having a spacious area for people departing rather than all crammed on concourse. The ceiling is wonderful, I love the contrast of old and new.

Although as enamoured as I am though, am not too sure I'll be as impressed when I've got three minutes to catch a train and have to run all over the place to get to platform 0.

EastLondoner | 19.03.12 - 11:32 p.m. | #

My big sister writes: My oldest memory of Kings Cross is from 1944 when we caught the train there to be evacuated to Stoke-on-Trent (not that we knew where we were going at the time). We were all herded back into the main building of the station at one point, during a raid, because they were trying to ensure we didn't get injured by flying glass. After the all-clear sounded we marched back onto the platform again.

Great Aunt Annie | 20.03.12 - 7:11 a.m. | #

It does seem a shame that all the arrivals concourse is to be demolished.
People who have turned up to meet some one might like to sit and have a drink while waiting for a trains arrival.
Also passengers who have arrived on a train without a buffet may want to stop for a snack or a drink.
When the arrival concourse is demolished will arriving passengers who wish to continue there journey by tube have to cross the open air piazza, possibly in pouring rain and cold, to reach the tube station?

John | 20.03.12 - 8:38 a.m. | #

In answer to an earlier comment - Anyone waiting at Platforms 9-11 whoi gets a platform change from 0-7 is actually a lot closer to those platforms than previously - There are escalators to the mezzanine giving access to the new bridge.

It is a little less quick than before from there to Platform 8 but still not too excessive.

Also someone asked about under cover tube access from the front of the station - If you take a look at the outline plans you'll see that the tube entrance/ exit currently inside the old concourse will remain and will be under the new canopy at the front of the station from Sep 2013.

Graham | 20.03.12 - 12:25 p.m. | #

Anyone wishing to spend a penny who doesn't want to spend 30 pennies may want to head up the stairs to the Parcel Yard pub and use the free facilities in there. The toilets and hand basins are made by Thomas Crapper which will raise a smile with anyone who, like me, has a childish sense of humour.

Adrian | 20.03.12 - 1:29 p.m. | #

@Adrian - the loos in St Pancras are also free, though probably less pretty.


The bookshop isn't independent - but owned by a multinational group who also run airport duty free shops. Natch.

The Bookseller has some more details.

martin | Homepage | 23.03.12 - 10:51 a.m. | #











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