Sorry to bother you busy folk

I'm travelling from Woolwich Arsenal to KX on Monday morning, [1100 to
Newcastle].

Because I have difficulty walking (stick, won't bore you with the
tedious and painful history) and will have overnight bag, laptop etc,
prefer step free.

At London Bridge, I can easily change from the through service [to
Charing X or Cannon St] to FCC northbound.

But where / how do I emerge from the new T/link platforms at St P?

Rummaged through all the usual websites - can find all LU i/change
info, but not St P domestic

All info / pointers etc grat rec

TIA


--
Writer / editor on London's River

On Jan 24, 7:29*am, Bearded wrote:
Sorry to bother you busy folk

I'm travelling from Woolwich Arsenal to KX on Monday morning, [1100 to
Newcastle].

Because I have difficulty walking (stick, won't bore you with the
tedious and painful history) and will have overnight bag, laptop etc,
prefer step free.

At London Bridge, I can easily change from the through service [to
Charing X or Cannon St] to FCC northbound.

But where / how do I emerge from the new T/link platforms at St P?

Rummaged through all the usual websites - can find all LU i/change
info, but not St P domestic

All info / pointers etc grat rec

The Thameslink platforms are underground at the north of the St
Pancras station complex, underneath EMT's trains. They have step-free
access to ground level through lifts, and lead out into the station's
northern concourse. This runs from west to east, with exits onto
Midland Road and Pancras Road.

To get to Kings Cross station, you take the Pancras Road exit and
follow the dotted yellow line on this map:
http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk...?iCmsPageId=77

(alternatively you could get the DLR to Bank and change onto the
Northern Line for KX - the connection between the DLR and Northern
platforms doesn't involve much walking, and the exit at KX is all
escalator rather than step based. This might be worth doing as TL is
fairly slow, fairly infrequent and fairly often delayed).

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

In message , at 07:29:45 on Sat,
24 Jan 2009, lid remarked:
At London Bridge, I can easily change from the through service [to
Charing X or Cannon St] to FCC northbound.

But where / how do I emerge from the new T/link platforms at St P?

There are lifts and escalators from the platforms, which emerge onto the
ground-floor concourse at a barrier-line halfway along the western edge
of the station (where the old and new roofs join).

From there, you can head east [1] along the large passageway (between
the ticket offices and the huge LCD departure board) and go outside.
Ahead of you there's a brick building called the "Gymnasium" and to its
right somewhat of a building site. However it's possible to weave
through the building site step-free and enter KX station via the
suburban platforms 9-11, then if necessary turn right along platform 8
to reach the rest of the station.

[1] Don't go down the shopping mall towards the clock and the Eurostar
buffers, because although there are at least two step-free routes from
there to KX, it's a very long way round. Unless it's absolutely
*pouring* with rain - in which case if you have time you should go as
far as the STP underground ticket office and take the lift down, which
is by the stairs, then walk at level "-1" all the way to the KX
underground ticket office from where there's a lift back up again, which
emerges (a little in the open unfortunately), outside the front entrance
to KX.
--
Roland Perry

On Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:39:03 -0800 (PST), John B
wrote:

On Jan 24, 7:29*am, Bearded wrote:
Sorry to bother you busy folk

I'm travelling from Woolwich Arsenal to KX on Monday morning, [1100 to
Newcastle].

Because I have difficulty walking (stick, won't bore you with the
tedious and painful history) and will have overnight bag, laptop etc,
prefer step free.

At London Bridge, I can easily change from the through service [to
Charing X or Cannon St] to FCC northbound.

But where / how do I emerge from the new T/link platforms at St P?

Rummaged through all the usual websites - can find all LU i/change
info, but not St P domestic

All info / pointers etc grat rec

The Thameslink platforms are underground at the north of the St
Pancras station complex, underneath EMT's trains. They have step-free
access to ground level through lifts, and lead out into the station's
northern concourse. This runs from west to east, with exits onto
Midland Road and Pancras Road.

To get to Kings Cross station, you take the Pancras Road exit and
follow the dotted yellow line on this map:
http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk...?iCmsPageId=77

(alternatively you could get the DLR to Bank and change onto the
Northern Line for KX - the connection between the DLR and Northern
platforms doesn't involve much walking, and the exit at KX is all
escalator rather than step based. This might be worth doing as TL is
fairly slow, fairly infrequent and fairly often delayed).

I'm sorry but I have to disagree about Bank. I can see why the DLR is
an attractive option from Woolwich but there are stairs as the main link
between the DLR and Northern Line. I'm not even certain the DLR lift at
Bank has an intermediate stop for the Northern Line - anyone know?

Given that Bank is being advertised as a place to avoid due to escalator
works and is likely to be crowded when the OP is travelling I don't feel
it's the sort of place for someone who will have luggage and who has
said they find walking difficult. The Northern Line will hardly be
empty either come to think of it.

Is Thameslink really as awful as you suggest post 1000 on a weekday?
The walk across from St Pancras to KX Mainline is not too bad at all and
is, at least, on the level. The only thing the OP may need to watch is
what is happening to Thameslink services if he returns late evening or
at a weekend - the cross London section is closed for works at those
times.
--
Paul C

Thanks, John

I'll follow your advice - and the yellow line! Lifts are what I want / need!

While I'm a big fan of DLR [since the days it was Mon-Fri 06-20hrs
only] I would struggle at Bank, and IIRC Northern Line @ LBR has no
lift.

Planning to allow plenty of time at London Bridge for FCC delay - if
there's a long gap between trains I can pick up some lunch on the
councourse, since the NXEC restaurant has been confiscated!

Ken

On 2009-01-24 09:39:03 +0000, John B said:

On Jan 24, 7:29*am, Bearded wrote:
Sorry to bother you busy folk

I'm travelling from Woolwich Arsenal to KX on Monday morning, [1100 to
Newcastle].

Because I have difficulty walking (stick, won't bore you with the
tedious and painful history) and will have overnight bag, laptop etc,
prefer step free.

At London Bridge, I can easily change from the through service [to
Charing X or Cannon St] to FCC northbound.

But where / how do I emerge from the new T/link platforms at St P?

Rummaged through all the usual websites - can find all LU i/change
info, but not St P domestic

All info / pointers etc grat rec

The Thameslink platforms are underground at the north of the St
Pancras station complex, underneath EMT's trains. They have step-free
access to ground level through lifts, and lead out into the station's
northern concourse. This runs from west to east, with exits onto
Midland Road and Pancras Road.

To get to Kings Cross station, you take the Pancras Road exit and
follow the dotted yellow line on this map:
http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk...?iCmsPageId=77

(alternatively you could get the DLR to Bank and change onto the
Northern Line for KX - the connection between the DLR and Northern
platforms doesn't involve much walking, and the exit at KX is all
escalator rather than step based. This might be worth doing as TL is
fairly slow, fairly infrequent and fairly often delayed).


--
Writer / editor on London's River

In message
, at
01:39:03 on Sat, 24 Jan 2009, John B remarked:
alternatively you could get the DLR to Bank and change onto the
Northern Line for KX - the connection between the DLR and Northern
platforms doesn't involve much walking, and the exit at KX is all
escalator rather than step based.

The escalators at KX take you to the tube-station barrier line, however
there are then two sets of steps to ground level. Unless you take the
lift which is in the far left-hand corner of the area beyond the
barriers.
--
Roland Perry

On 24 Jan, 09:55, Paul Corfield wrote:
I'm sorry but I have to disagree about Bank. *I can see why the DLR is
an attractive option from Woolwich but there are stairs as the main link
between the DLR and Northern Line. *I'm not even certain the DLR lift at
Bank has an intermediate stop for the Northern Line - anyone know?

The lift from the DLR platforms takes you up only as far as the
Northern Line lower concourse*, from which there's a short (but steep)
set of steps down to the Northern Line. There is no step-free access
to the Northern Line from any direction at Bank.

London Bridge has step free access to the Northern Line from the
Borough Market exit, but not the railway station end. The opposite is
true for the Jubilee Line. There's a long route I can think of
involving using the lifts at Green Park to get to the Piccadilly Line
to King's Cross, but it would involve a fair amount of walking, and
you'd be better off taking a bus.

(* to get to street level you need to take the lifts up to the Lombard
Street ticket hall and then another lift)

U

On 24 Jan, 09:55, Roland Perry wrote:
*From there, you can head east [1] along the large passageway (between
the ticket offices and the huge LCD departure board) and go outside.
Ahead of you there's a brick building called the "Gymnasium" and to its
right somewhat of a building site. However it's possible to weave
through the building site step-free and enter KX station via the
suburban platforms 9-11, then if necessary turn right along platform 8
to reach the rest of the station.

A train to Newcastle is very likely to be going from a lower numbered
platform than 8 (the only time I've seen a National Express/GNER in
platform 8 is on telly when Tony Blair got one on his way out of
Downing Street), and that's a lot of walking.

Therefore you're better off turning right once you get out of the
Thameslink ticket barriers where there's a taxi rank and a bus stop,
with frequent enough buses around the corner to the front of King's
Cross, from which there's easy access to platforms 1-7.

U

In message
s.com, at 02:50:33 on Sat, 24 Jan 2009, Mr Thant maha.thray.sithu.u.th
remarked:
*From there, you can head east [1] along the large passageway (between
the ticket offices and the huge LCD departure board) and go outside.
Ahead of you there's a brick building called the "Gymnasium" and to its
right somewhat of a building site. However it's possible to weave
through the building site step-free and enter KX station via the
suburban platforms 9-11, then if necessary turn right along platform 8
to reach the rest of the station.

A train to Newcastle is very likely to be going from a lower numbered
platform than 8

I agree with that.

(the only time I've seen a National Express/GNER in platform 8 is on
telly when Tony Blair got one on his way out of Downing Street)

But not with that. There's often one there, indeed it had one in almost
complete "new livery" this week when I took the walking route I
described.

Therefore you're better off turning right once you get out of the
Thameslink ticket barriers where there's a taxi rank and a bus stop,
with frequent enough buses around the corner to the front of King's
Cross, from which there's easy access to platforms 1-7.

& 8 of course. Yes if the OP has the time to wait, and it's not raining
[when I was there it was *chucking* down very cold rain], that would
reduce the amount of walking. (Although a through rail ticket might be
valid on the train/tube but not a bus?)

From "S" to "D/E", then:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...df/kingscross-
2150.pdf
--
Roland Perry