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King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
In message
, at 03:47:11 on Mon, 26 Jan 2009, Mizter T remarked: The Northern Ticket Hall opens in December this year, As soon as that? Is it timed to co-incide with the opening of the Kent Domestics. Will all the new escalators/passageways to the tube lines be complete as well? It's almost as if there's a masterplan at work! I think the timing is intended to coincide with the arrival of the Kent high-speed trains at St. P. Although this says 2010 (for the Northern Ticket Hall): http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/proj....aspx#entrance -- Roland Perry |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
On 26 Jan, 11:57, Roland Perry wrote:
Although this says 2010 (for the Northern Ticket Hall) The official date is "February 2010" but they were asked to get it done three months early by the DfT, which they've agreed to. But for whatever political reason TfL's announced date is unchanged. (see also the ELL, which opens "June 2010" but I would bet money will be carrying passengers by the end of this year) U |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
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King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
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King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
wrote: In article , (Mizter T) wrote: On 26 Jan, 00:35, "John Salmon" wrote: Surprisingly, I don't think this has been posted here yet... Posters displayed at King's Cross indicate that the entrance to the Underground from within the main line station concourse - the one more or less opposite platform 7 - which seems to have been there for ever, at least within my recollection, is to close permanently from next Sunday, 1st February. Intriguing. I've found this information on the TfL website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/proj....aspx#entrance ---quote--- Entrance closure - 1 February 2009 The staircase that leads from within King's Cross mainline station to the Underground will be closed permanently from 1 February 2009. This closure is to enable a lift to be installed to provide step-free access from the ticket hall to the Northern line platforms. This staircase will not re-open, but a new route between King's Cross mainline and the Underground will open nearby when the new Northern ticket hall opens in 2010. Until then, passengers should use the main entrance staircase and lift located outside of King's Cross mainline station, to change between rail and Underground services. ---/quote--- In time the whole focus of King's Cross station is shifting from the present concourse over to the new western concourse, which will open in 2011/ 2012 - in this context the closure of this staircase makes rather more sense. I'm not really all that clued up on the redevelopment of the station, but it seems as though the new northern Tube ticket hall will become the primary entrance to the Underground from the mainline station. This Network Rail webpage provides a rough outline as to the plans, but there's not really enough detail in it: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4059.aspx The focus shifting nonsense is a right PITA for real users because it means considerably longer walking routes and the complete lack of a covered route to the Underground in the meantime. Why they don't at least put up a temporary awning on the King's Cross forecourt is beyond me but even that route is a long way round from all the King's ross platforms to the Victoria Line. Just encourages me always to use my bike. "This focus shifting nonsense" is basically the bedrock of the redevelopment plans for King's Cross mainline station, which will entail the concourse being relocated to the western side of the station. By the by I was mistaken when I said the new northern Tube ticket hall would become the primary entrance from the mainline station - there will in fact be an entrance to the existing circular ticket hall via a passageway from the new western concourse. This walking route will be a bit longer, but nothing major. The motivation behind the new western concourse is to provide a less cramped, more spacious station for passengers. Regarding the current arrangement - once the entrance to the Tube station in the middle of the current concourse shuts, there won't as you say be a completely covered route - but it's almost completely covered. Look at this bird's eye view - the building with the 'King's Cross' label imposed on it is actually the (fairly) new wide stairway entrance down into the Tube station. The actual distance between that and the existing canopy is pretty miniscule (the temporary structure that appears in between them is no longer there). Regarding the arrangement encouraging you to use your bike - well, some might well say good, nothing wrong with that, in fact it should be positively encouraged - for a start people opting to go by bike take some pressure off the Tube network. Though you should perhaps note that the small lack of cover from the sky between the mainline station and the Tube entrance somewhat pales into insignificance compared with the lack of cover provided when cycling, what with it being out in the open and all that. I note that the footbridge in the main trainshed was scheduled to be removed over Christmas - I haven't been into KX lately so can't say if this happened or not. It was fun walking over it when it was still open, it was a distinctly forgotten corner of the station. It only gave access to platforms 1 and 8 - was this always the case? I also note that it's being/been taken into storage - any ideas for a new home for it? It went alright. It's even reported in the latest Modern Railways (I think, could be Railway Magazine). OK, thanks for the info, |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
On 26 Jan, 12:27, wrote: In article , (Mizter T) wrote: On 26 Jan, 09:54, Allan wrote: John Salmon wrote: Surprisingly, I don't think this has been posted here yet... Posters displayed at King's Cross indicate that the entrance to the Underground from within the main line station concourse - the one more or less opposite platform 7 - which seems to have been there for ever, at least within my recollection, is to close permanently from next Sunday, 1st February. I may be missing something, but this is a great pity. *It was so easy to get off an arriving train, and straight down the stairs into the underground. Fom 1 Feb, you have through the often crowded station concourse, out of the front of the station, merge in with everyone else coming into the station, and then down the stairs. All this so a lift can be installed. This seems very contrary. Come 2011/2012 when the new western concourse at King's Cross mainline station opens, then things would be changing anyway. I very much doubt that this entrance would be closing now were it not for these major forthcoming changes to the mainline station which will result in the current concourse disappearing. So what you're missing is the bigger picture of how things are to develop at King's Cross - this is just a stage in those developments. The new ticket hall won't change the shortest route to the tube platforms! True. In some earlier comments I mistakenly said that the new northern Tube ticket hall would become the primary entrance to the Tube from the new western concourse - as Roland Perry has pointed out elsewhere on this thread, there will in fact be a new passageway from the western concourse that leads into the existing (main) circular Tube ticket hall next to Euston Road. The exit from platforms 1-8 at the Cross will still be to the area where the concourse is now. There seems to be some dispute over whether passenger will be able to exit the mainline platforms over the footbridge into the western ticket hall or not. If that is to be possible, then there would be a covered route all the way into the Tube station - though yes, one that would involve getting up and then down from the footbridge. The other possibility is that there will be a way to walk around the southern (buffer-end) exits from platforms 1-8 within the station (i.e. under cover) to get round to the western concourse and hence the entrance to the Tube station. This is surely highly likely, as I rather doubt that the buffer-end exits would literally deposit people straight off the train and through the doors into the street. |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
On 26 Jan, 12:42, Mizter T wrote:
There seems to be some dispute over whether passenger will be able to exit the mainline platforms over the footbridge into the western ticket hall or not. They'll have a single down-only escalator and a lift to each platform. The other possibility is that there will be a way to walk around the southern (buffer-end) exits from platforms 1-8 within the station (i.e. under cover) to get round to the western concourse and hence the entrance to the Tube station. There'll be a bi-directional gateline roughly where M&S currently is giving you access to the concourse. A little further south (just outside the building but under the canopy) there'll be a new set of stairs down to the tube station. This is probably the same set Roland mentioned earlier. U |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
In message
, at 04:42:06 on Mon, 26 Jan 2009, Mizter T remarked: The other possibility is that there will be a way to walk around the southern (buffer-end) exits from platforms 1-8 within the station (i.e. under cover) to get round to the western concourse and hence the entrance to the Tube station. This is surely highly likely, as I rather doubt that the buffer-end exits would literally deposit people straight off the train and through the doors into the street. They are currently widening the circulating area inside the "old building" by moving all the buffers about half a carriage-length north, and eventually covering the resulting footprint with a pedestrianised area. This will give a "corridor" from the platform ends westwards to the new National Rail ticket concourse. But when they did a study of the passenger flows at the revamped station, one of the major issues was congestion at the platform-end exits, when it was raining. This seems to assume that most passengers would be heading across the new open air plaza, maybe to the bus stops, or the current "outdoor" entrance to the tube - especially if heading for the Circle Line I think. -- Roland Perry |
King's Cross entrance to Underground to close
In message
s.com, at 04:53:21 on Mon, 26 Jan 2009, Mr Thant maha.thray.sithu.u.th remarked: There'll be a bi-directional gateline roughly where M&S currently is giving you access to the concourse. And is there an exit-only gateline somewhere? Very close to the edge of the building, perhaps (so that the corridor along the buffers is "airside")? A little further south (just outside the building but under the canopy) there'll be a new set of stairs down to the tube station. This is probably the same set Roland mentioned earlier. There's just one set on the diagram I have, and it's not clear if inside or outside the building. If it's just outside, is it perhaps inside the greenhouse structure visible here just left of the 'clocktower': http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/...ion_nrail27110 7_2.jpg -- Roland Perry |
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