London Banter - View Single Post

Colin Rosenstiel · November 8th 07, 09:37 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article .com,
(Mizter T) wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7080278.stm

The opening will happen this evening (not least because Bettie is a
bit tied up giving a speech at some riverside club house during the
day).

And blocking the road outside for a fortnight. :-(

I managed to have a quick look inside and around St P yesterday
lunchtime (whilst waiting at KX for someone who, courtesy of an inept
communications breakdown, wasn't on the train they should've been on -
grrr!).

I was there on a tour on Saturday (outside the Eurostar areas) and on the
IVT today. The lighting rigs for the Royal opening were there on Saturday
and the opening stone was there today, though in what looks somewhat like
a temporary location, not attached to a wall, that's for sure.

I see now that the Midland mainline platform-level concourse and
platforms offer a pretty good view across the whole Barlow trainshed
now that the hoardings have largely come down and been replaced with
glass walls. The roof is splendid, lots of light coming through so
quite a change from the dingy St P of old.

Indeed so.

From this position one also gets a good view across the Eurostar
platforms - yesterday occupied by a just-arrived Eurostar train and
also a CTRL-DS (aka Javelin) train, coupled to an EWS Class 60 (I
think). The CTRL-DS train was quite far up the long platforms (towards
the country end) so I couldn't see if it was top and tailed, but I did
wonder if there was the necessary trackwork in the Eurostar platforms
for a loco to run around a train and escape.

The Javelin wasn't in the domestic platforms then?

There was also quite a bit of lighting kit being set up for the grand
opening 'show' this evening - there were several lighting rigs
attached to the roof, and several more ground-level spotlights on the
platforms, plus a couple of massive screens hanging from the roof too.

They were still there today. On returning from the last of three IVT
trips to Stratford International they were showing the view along the
tracks from the buffer stops of platform 7 (IIRC). Earlier they were
dark.

Coming up the escalators to the Midland mainline concourse there were
a couple of large black drapes hanging from the ceiling. After a bit
of consideration I decided these were perhaps in place principally to
stop the light show from distracting the arriving MML drivers as hey
came into the platforms - as there was no indication that the Midland
mainline part of the station was going to close for this event.

It wasn't clear to our guide on Saturday exactly what they were supposed
to be screening from whom. They were still there today.

Of curse, the Midland Mainline platforms were very quiet today, with just
five trains to Derby timetabled all day. I didn't see any sign of signs
being ready to be altered for the franchise change on Sunday either. Talk
about timing, though!

[snip]

Whilst the trainshed part of the station appears nearly finished, the
undercroft areas would still appear to be requiring a fair bit more
work - it is however hard to tell, given that there's no public access
to these areas. There were lots of workmen wearing hi-vis jackets
stating "Retail fit-out", so perhaps things are nearing completion.
Still plenty of other workmen around the place beavering away at this
and that though.

They were still working away furiously today. The M&S Food shop looked
even more skeletal than normal. They also have to remove the enclosed
scaffold from the opening ceremony which was still obstructing much of
the area open to the public at street level today.

A couple of other points of potential interest.

[snip]

The other is that the surrounding roads are now open as of Saturday
3rd November (so the sign said). As far as I could see (but I may have
got it wrong) Pancras Road is fully open for two-way traffic all the
way from Euston Road up to the Goods Way / Camley Street junction, and
Midland Road is open for one-way southbound traffic into Euston Road.
The taxi rank is now on Midland Road, and that's now the taxi drop-off
point as well (as opposed to the old location on Pancras Road).

They did actually open on Saturday. The taxi lane in Midland Road outside
the mainline entrance was still incomplete today.

--
Colin Rosenstiel