When the Thameslink station moves to St Pancras in December 2007, is
the exit from the Northern and Victoria lines into Pentonville Road
also going to close?

My guess would be that it will stay open until at least 2009, because
until the Northern Ticket Hall opens it is the only alternative exit
from the tube platforms and so closing it would be viewed as poor
safety (one of the reasons for the large death toll in the 1987 fire
was that the Pentonville Road exit was barred and staff/LFB had no key
for it, so people evacuating the station had to go up the Victoria Line
escalators and through the main ticket hall).

How about after 2009? Are the benefits of allowing commuters who need
to go to the Pentonville Road area to bypass the main station complex
worth the cost?

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

John B wrote:

(snip)

My guess would be that it will stay open until at least 2009, because
until the Northern Ticket Hall opens it is the only alternative exit
from the tube platforms and so closing it would be viewed as poor
safety (one of the reasons for the large death toll in the 1987 fire
was that the Pentonville Road exit was barred and staff/LFB had no key
for it, so people evacuating the station had to go up the Victoria Line
escalators and through the main ticket hall).

That fact from 1987 shines a somewhat different and more sinister light
on the "smile" motifs that appear on the walls of the tunnel walkway
that lead up to the Pentonville Road exit from the main KXSP
underground complex. It's hard to believe there was such a lack of
contingency planning.

I've no answer to your main query, though I'm most interested in
hearing if anyone else has one. I don't believe any decision has been
made publicly yet, which isn't to say that accountants haven't already
identified the closure of this entrance as a potential future cost
saving measure.

One thing to bear in mind is that the Pentonville Road entrance is
manned by FCC staff, as it's the main entrance to KX Thameslink
station. Once the new Thameslink station opens at St. Pancras Midland
Road (or whatever it'll eventually be called) then FCC definitely won't
be staffing Pentonville Road anymore. Thus if it were to remain open LU
would have to staff it, which would be regarded as an added expense. I
think this might tip the balance in favour of it closing, albeit
remaining available as an emergency exit from the KXSP complex and
perhaps also for emergency alighting from Thameslink trains onto the
closed platforms of KX Thameslink.

Mizter T wrote:

One thing to bear in mind is that the Pentonville Road entrance is
manned by FCC staff, as it's the main entrance to KX Thameslink
station. Once the new Thameslink station opens at St. Pancras Midland
Road (or whatever it'll eventually be called) then FCC definitely won't
be staffing Pentonville Road anymore. Thus if it were to remain open LU
would have to staff it, which would be regarded as an added expense. I
think this might tip the balance in favour of it closing, albeit
remaining available as an emergency exit from the KXSP complex and
perhaps also for emergency alighting from Thameslink trains onto the
closed platforms of KX Thameslink.

One possibility, I suppose, it that LU will do something similar to
what they have done at the Met line entrance to Moorgate station: the
ticket office there has closed permanently and the entrance is only
open Mon-Fri until about 8pm. According to the signs, however, it is
available as an emergency exit at all times.

PaulO

No it is to remain open and apparently that has been guaranteed.. As
someone who uses it on a daily basis, I will be very dissapointed when
the Thameslink station does shut bearing in mind the distance to the
new Thameslink station(or FCC as it is now called). While it cannot be
extended I have no doubt that the station could have easily been
re-developed as a eight car station including the platforms being made
bigger. If the devloped the area over the station it could have helped
pay for it.


While reluctantly accepting closure reasons, in terms of the
Pentonville Road exit, it is very handy for the Victoria Line, not so
for the other lines. Indeed it could very well be converted into the
Eastern ticket hall with some extra escaltors and a lift. Long term it
is a prime site for redeveloping even without Thameslink.


Paul Oter wrote:
Mizter T wrote:

One thing to bear in mind is that the Pentonville Road entrance is
manned by FCC staff, as it's the main entrance to KX Thameslink
station. Once the new Thameslink station opens at St. Pancras Midland
Road (or whatever it'll eventually be called) then FCC definitely won't
be staffing Pentonville Road anymore. Thus if it were to remain open LU
would have to staff it, which would be regarded as an added expense. I
think this might tip the balance in favour of it closing, albeit
remaining available as an emergency exit from the KXSP complex and
perhaps also for emergency alighting from Thameslink trains onto the
closed platforms of KX Thameslink.

One possibility, I suppose, it that LU will do something similar to
what they have done at the Met line entrance to Moorgate station: the
ticket office there has closed permanently and the entrance is only
open Mon-Fri until about 8pm. According to the signs, however, it is
available as an emergency exit at all times.

PaulO