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Kings cross thameslink
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The new station is underneath the new part of St Pancras, and quite a way north of the old station. It is at one end of a tight curve. Presumably, when thine was built, this area didn't warrant a station.
The old station was built where it is so that it could be roughly next to the existing Met line station, and is at the other end of the tight curve.
The old station is left partly as emergency evac. Partly because what would be the point in removing it?
The old station was built where it is so that it could be roughly next to the existing Met line station, and is at the other end of the tight curve.
The old station is left partly as emergency evac. Partly because what would be the point in removing it?
Why not reinstate it ? I always wonder why its remain disused for so long. Would there be a benefit in reopening it ?
Dr Hoo
Established Member
AFAIK the original King's Cross Metropolitan Railway station was on the Pentonville Road site. It opened in 1863 (before St Pancras came along, of course).
When the Midland Railway extension to London was built a connecting tunnel to the Metropolitan Railway alignment was built and two more platforms built alongside. The City Widened Lines as they were known ran through to Farringdon and Moorgate. (This is rather a brief description of some complicated details, I know.)
The current King's Cross Metropolitan/Hammersmith/Circle line platforms, to the West of the original site, are much more recent.
When the Midland Railway extension to London was built a connecting tunnel to the Metropolitan Railway alignment was built and two more platforms built alongside. The City Widened Lines as they were known ran through to Farringdon and Moorgate. (This is rather a brief description of some complicated details, I know.)
The current King's Cross Metropolitan/Hammersmith/Circle line platforms, to the West of the original site, are much more recent.
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I think the platforms are too narrow and fire escape routes not good enough
Dr Hoo
Established Member
The street entrance to the entire Underground complex, which use to be the main access to the Thameslink station, remains open during the day (but not evenings and other quiet times).
Access to the Met/H&C/Circle platforms from this direction is ridiculous because of all the stairs, passageways and escalators involved but it is quite handy for the Victoria and Piccadilly lines in particular if you are coming from the Pentonville Road or Grays Inn Road area, youth hostel, etc. rather than the main line stations.
Significant disbenefits
1) 12 car trains can't stop there in normal service (you don't want SDO in the core with a train every 2.5mins)
2) every passenger travelling between St Pancras and Farringdon for part of their trip gets their journey extended by 2 minutes
3) platforms too narrow. It really was horrendous in the last few years before it closed.
4) the platforms have been used to place the supports for the OLE conductor bar, so there is less platform space than there was.
5) it's not properly connected to any of the rest of the Kx St P estate, except by a tunnel that is now full,of passenger to the Deep tube lines.
swt_passenger
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The Midland curve connection that runs round to the present St Pancras didn't open at the same time as the 'Widened Lines', it came later. The route only linked to the Great Northern via the York Rd and Hotel Curves for the first ten years or so, (both those curves now out of use since the 1970s electrification).
So when they were deciding to build the platforms on the Widened Lines, not only was the most obvious location alongside the original Metropolitan station in the open air, but also the only place available for trains to both the GN and Midland routes.
The Met station moved during WW2 and there are still disused platforms on the Met at the old location too, visible from LU trains, still available as an evacuation point. Photos suggest the island forming the down Thameslink and the former Met outer rail platform was pretty narrow at the south end, there's not much width behind the present dividing wall.
are those ever busy?
To complete the story, on the Eastern side only Up trains called at Kings Cross Met (as well as York Road platform); on the Down they ran directly to the steeply graded platform at (or next to!) the Suburban station.
tsr
Established Member
Absurdly so. Most Southern and Thameslink services which don't call at Redhill but do call at Gatwick will stop on those platforms.
Certainly are.
tsr
Established Member
Indeed, I should have spotted that.
The announcements made about the importance of standing behind the yellow line at Gatwick do actually refer to "100 mph", probably to make it sound scarier.
bassmike
On Moderation
Apparently the old York road curve up to the site of York rd: station is classed as an emergency walking route for any mishaps in the area. It's possible to drive a van down there as well.(road access in the York rd station area. Interestingly , you pass the end of the never used Maiden lane /western curve on the left on the way up. The tunnels are concrete-floored and lit by flourescnt tubes
Dr_Paul
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And if you walk into the courtyard behind McDonalds in Pentonville Road, you can actually see down through a gap in the tunnel on to the southbound trackbed. There are no emergency stairs there (well, there weren't when I last looked a few months back) at that spot. Old large-scale OS maps show this gap, such as http://maps.nls.uk/view/101201496; note that the line is shown as belonging to the Metropolitan Railway, whereas the northbound line is shown as GNR.
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