Seven days and counting for a new King’s Cross Station

Monday 19th March will see the biggest transformation in the 160-year history of King’s Cross station with the opening to the public of the spectacular new western concourse.

The shell-shaped glass and steel building provides three times the space of the current station concourse with better facilities, new links with the Tube, better links to St Pancras station, more shops and restaurants, larger destination boards and clearer station announcements.

From next Monday, passengers leaving on trains from King’s Cross will need to enter the station from the stunning new building on the western side of the Grade 1 listed station. There are entrances to the concourse direct from the Tube and for pedestrians from Euston Road, Pancras Road and via new arcades on the ground floor of the Great Northern Hotel.

Ian Fry, Network Rail’s programme director for the new station, said: “It’s just a few days to go before we usher in a new era for King’s Cross and everything is on track and looking good.

“I’m sure that regular users of the current station will be very pleased with the new concourse when it opens, but I’d encourage everyone to pick up one of the station maps we’re giving out this week and take a moment to consider their best route through their new station.”

Passengers will need to understand how the layout of the new station works, as the existing 1970s building on Euston Road that currently serves both arriving and departing passengers will cater only for arrivals until its demolition begins after the London Paralympic Games. The area will be transformed into a new public open space by September 2013.

This week Network Rail and the train operating companies serving King’s Cross are distributing wayfinding maps to station users to help travellers understand the imminent changes to the station, with further advice online and via social media – all aimed at a smooth transition to the new station layout.