On 30 Sep, 00:44, Mizter T wrote:

Thanks - that was a question I wanted answered, i.e. whether the
'Smile' design came before or after the fire (as if it had come
afterwards, then I think further questions as to the appropriateness
of this motif could have been asked). FWIW the Fennell report appears
to state that this passageway was constructed a little later than you
suggest, in "1983/4".

There's truth in both dates, curiously enough! The major construction
work was largely complete in 1981 (a friend of mine had a pub with a
bird's eye view down to the KX Midland City station site), but because
of the industrial relations issues caused by the proposed DOO on the
Class 317s the service was delayed for somewhere around a year, with
the old trains soldiering on and the nice new electrics sitting in the
sidings.

I believe it was May 1983 that the electric service finally started,
despite the infrastructure having been there for around 18 months.

Incidentally, I read recently that the KX Midland City tunnel made use
of tunnel segments ordered for the Jubilee line extension (abortive
GLC version), which explained the 1976 or 1977 dates stamped on them
that I saw (and puzzled about) when part of the tunnel was retiled as
part of the Northern Ticket Hall project.