King's Cross and St. Pancras Railway Stations. ...

[rogerfarnworth]

King’s Cross and St. Pancras Railway Stations: Renaissance 1990 to 2025

In June 1990, The Railway Magazine issued a supplement entitled ‘King’s Cross Renaissance: The History, Development and Future of Two Great Stations’ by P. W. B. Semmens MA, CChem, FRSC, MBCS, MCIT.

Semmens introduces the supplement by highlighting first the 1846 ‘Royal Commission on Railway Termini Within or in the Immediate Vicinity of the Metropolis’ which recommended that “surface railways should remain towards the outskirts, and fixed a ring of roads around the city, beyond which they should not penetrate.” [1: p3]

King’s Cross and St. Pancras Railway Stations: Renaissance 1990 to 2025

In June 1990, The Railway Magazine issued a supplement entitled ‘King’s Cross Renaissance: The History, Development and Future of Two Great Stations’ by P. W. B. Semmens MA, CChem…

rogerfarnworth.com

By 1990, the main line railway still barely penetrated the central core of London “and only Thameslink crossed the built up area to provide a through route.” [1: p3] The impact of the Royal Commission was most obvious “in the North of the city, where five of our main line termini … situated in a virtually straight line along one major road, stretching from Paddington in the West to the twin stations of St. Pancras and King’s Cross five miles away to the East.” [1: p3] As a result passengers heading into the centre of London still have to change to other forms of transport even if limited subsurface onwards extensions were provided by three of the termini.

In the latter half of the 20th century, developments in service industries and improved electronic communication systems have allowed companies, which originally needed to be closely situated in the centre of the city, to look for alternative, better locations. “The railway termini, with their built-in transport facilities for staff, thus provide excellent sites at which to build new offices, and BR [was] extensively involved in many such developments, after its initial office plans for the new Euston had been thwarted by the government of the day. Some of the London termini, however, are of such outstanding architectural merit that it is not acceptable for them to be swept away and replaced by office blocks on top of improved station facilities for trains and customers. Notable among these are St. Pancras and King’s Cross, both Grade I listed buildings, whose proximity to each other makes them unique in London. (Broad Street was never really a main-line terminus, as its services were virtually all of a suburban nature.)” [1: p3]

 

[D Mylchreest]

Not sure of the purpose of this thread, please could you expand; thanks

 

[rogerfarnworth]

Hello David

The linked article looks at the history of the two stations and at a snapshot from 1990 of plans and proposals before going on to look at what has since been undertaken on the site.

Kind regards

Roger

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I’ve always wondered what would actually happen if the Kings Cross Low Level plan was approved. My suspicion is that by 1996, with the Tunnel now open with lower than expected figures and the costs of the Low Level station spiralling out of control, the CTRL might have perpetually have gone into Waterloo.

 

[Taunton]

My suspicion is that by 1996, with the Tunnel now open with lower than expected figures and the costs of the Low Level station spiralling out of control, the CTRL might have perpetually have gone into Waterloo.

If only ...

 

[Sad Sprinter]

If only ...

A man can dream…a man can dream