London Banter - View Single Post

Colin Rosenstiel · March 19th 07, 10:05 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

In message , at 14:52:06
on Mon, 19 Mar 2007, Jack Taylor remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:

Depends where you are starting from. Surely most of the
passengers arrive either by road at the front of the station, or
by tube (which is also at the front of the station). The only
direction that the suburban platforms are closer is St Pancras.

Yes - *currently*. We are talking about the future, when the new
main concourse is built between the GN hotel and the suburban
platforms, the new LUL northern concourse is open, adjacent to it,
and the current "temporary" mess at the front of KX has been
demolished and landscaped. The main route then will be through the
new LUL concourse (of from adjacent taxi points) into the new
mainline concourse.

I am sceptical about this new concourse. The Circle line is under
the main road, so all you are altering is where people climb up to
the surface. I can't see why taking people a hundred yards further
north to start with helps very much.

Similarly, the escalators for the deep tube lines stretch pretty
much parallel to the main road, from a point at the front of the
station towards KX Thameslink, and the tube platforms "point" that
way too. Taking people from the deep tube lines via this new
concourse is also a long way round.

Very little traffic will use the existing
entrance/exit at the front of the station, mainly foot passengers
exiting to Euston Road/Pentonville Road/Grays Inn Road or those
using that entrance to LUL. All travellers arriving at King's Cross
will be funneled through the new west side entrance, so the suburban
platforms (the only ones for which access will be "on the level"
from the new ticket office) will actually be far more accessible
than the mainline platforms, for which it will be necessary to go
up to the waiting area on the first floor, then across the new
footbridge in the centre of the station and down to platform
level using either escalators or lifts.

What a nightmare! Having used the station and studied the plans in
passing, none of that was particularly obvious.

Another factor in your favour is that the new Northern underground ticket
hall will only be one of three. The others are open now and will remain
in place.

--
Colin Rosenstiel