Kings Cross - New station

[Bungle73]

So it's a not a go-up-to-the-bar-and-order kind of place? That's what I prefer.

 

[yorksrob]

Me too.

Does it have a less yuppiefied section where scruffy oiks like me can sit at the bar ?

 

[Furrball]

DaveNewcastle, we were told they were short of staff at the time we were there so maybe a shift change?


Bungle73, not sure how it works downstairs as only spent a bit of time down there. Sort of got the impression Fullers do not know what they want the place to be!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The main bar area certainly had lots of space to sit or stand if you just wanted a drink.

 

[yorksrob]

That's good. Will be useful when the King Charles II is shut.

 

[Bungle73]

I meant for food. I tend to frequent pubs where you find a table yourself then go up to the bar to order food and drink.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

So it's a not a go-up-to-the-bar-and-order kind of place? That's what I prefer.

Oh it is! A large bar on both levels.

The staff who approached me offering service were a) assuming I was uncertain because I was actually just admiring the decor, b) asking if I woould like to eat, and c) asking if I would like another drink (having bought the prior one at the bar).

 

[Bungle73]

Ah, I see. I'll have to pop in next time I'm up there.

 

[Furrball]

I meant for food. I tend to frequent pubs where you find a table yourself then go up to the bar to order food and drink.

Upstairs is certainly set up for table service, with tables set with cutlery, napkins and wine glasses. Did not notice this downstairs so may differ.

 

[transmanche]

Upstairs is certainly set up for table service, with tables set with cutlery, napkins and wine glasses. Did not notice this downstairs so may differ.

The facilities page on the Fuller's website says it offers a restaurant and bar food. So my money's on the restaurant upstairs and bar food downstairs.

 

[Furrball]

The facilities page on the Fuller's website says it offers a restaurant and bar food. So my money's on the restaurant upstairs and bar food downstairs.

The staff refuted the restaurant part of the statement when I spoke to them this evening!

 

[Blindtraveler]

No idea what they're like - but can confirm that the new toilets on the main concourse have shower facilities.

Disappointed that they charge for the loos though, whereas you can nip across the road and use free ones!

Other than that nitpicking - I think the new Kings Cross concourse looks lovely - love the feeling of space!

thats good to know as my rare visits to KGX are usually at times of day when a shower is a very agreeable idea and would have missed them!

 

[Barclay]

Next time you go in the Parcel Yard take a close look at the structure, it's a really unusual form of construction. Those massive timber trusses at ceiling level have cast-iron drop-rods hanging from them, and the lower floors used to be suspended from above rather than supported from ground level! As part of the restoration a lot of new steelwork has been inserted so the floors are held up in a more traditional way now.

When I first went in there pre-pub conversion, the upper level was the drivers locker room. In an effort to squeeze in as many lockers as possible, BR had gas-axed half the drop-rods and the floor in the centre was a good 6 inches lower in the middle than at the edge!

 

[PaxVobiscum]

first day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHuuufs7FE

Cracking footage, Anonywave! Really professional stuff - I could watch it all day.

Just a couple of things though as you obviously don't realise the special rules which apply when filming for YouTube:
1) never use a tripod or other stabilisation - unsteady handheld shots are compulsory (preferably at a slight Dutch angle)
2) remember to zoom in and out constantly
3) make sure your autofocus gets plenty of opportunity to hunt
4) straight cuts are not allowed - you must make use of all the tacky transitions in your bundled NLE
5) don't forget the pretentious titles and credits
6) avoid correct spelling and grammar in your notes on the upload

But seriously though folks, did you notice the silly nonsense going on during the scene as the EC train gets ready to depart (00:08:18 through to 00:09:40). Just shows you what station staff have to put up with.

 

[mirodo]

Disappointed that they charge for the loos though, whereas you can nip across the road and use free ones!

The Thomas Crapper crappers in the Parcel Yard are FOC. Although I'm sure they're intended for pub customers only, of course...

 

[Fred26]

The facilities page on the Fuller's website says it offers a restaurant and bar food. So my money's on the restaurant upstairs and bar food downstairs.

You can sit where you like. It's just a pub that serves food. Bit poncey, but very nice all the same. The old railway features are fascinating. It's expensive though - cost me £4.20 for an Aspall's. At least it was something decent and not Strongbow. Honeydew is on tap for whoever asked...

I think the new concourse is fantastic. Just one question though, where's the FCC ticket office? I had a wander through the big ticket office and just found East Coast staff there.

 

[Lee_Again]

Just one question though, where's the FCC ticket office? I had a wander through the big ticket office and just found East Coast staff there.

Finsbury Park !!

 

[philjo]

There is also the FCC one in St Pancras.

 

[Skymonster]

I understand that if you want to go into the concourse on arrival, you will have to walk around though.

Tonight, at the very south end of the western gate lines in the new concourse there's a gap through to the main shed and they've roped of a section between the southern and western gate lines to allow arriving passengers to go through the gates and then turn right into the new concourse without going outside, and to allow people in the new concourse to walk through to the arrivals area without going through a gate line

Andy

 

[Deerfold]

I got the 1833 out of KGX this evening. There was a very vocal young man with a large hand shouting that passengers would not be able to access the platforms from the arrivals concourse.

I went round the side and through the barriers once the train had been announced. We got caught up in a line of passengers coming down platform 8 to the out gates which was messy.

Actually there seemed to be lots of youngsters in t-shirts and with giant hands and very few actual rail staff around.

 

[rdwarr]

Last night I was on the 20:33 from P5. Tonight I was on the 18:53 from P8. On both occasions I came over the bridge and found the escalator off and barred so that it was not possible even to walk down. Even 15 minutes before departure there was a queue for the lift, the only other way down.
Hate to think what would happen five minutes from departure time on busier trains.

BTW, the route from P8 to P9 that we discussed last week is signposted but appears to be permanently gated.

 

[Oswyntail]

I would like to report that the new concourse has passed its severest test. Mrs O travelled to London on Monday morning, and returned on the 17:33 this evening. She dislikes change, and is quite capable of losing her temper if change makes her leave her comfort zone. However, she reports no difficulty in getting from the tube to her train, and is very impressed with the range of new outlets. The station project team can heave a sigh of relief.

 

[jon0844]

Why won't it surprise me to find out that the lifts will regularly break down, and the escalators will fail?

The lifts to the tube lines seem to have problems quite regularly (not all of them, but you never know which one it will be and what lines it will effectively cut off). I do wonder how they can break, as they must be designed for lots of people/weight and to be vandal proof, or heavily resistant.

 

[swt_passenger]

Why won't it surprise me to find out that the lifts will regularly break down, and the escalators will fail?

The lifts to the tube lines seem to have problems quite regularly (not all of them, but you never know which one it will be and what lines it will effectively cut off). I do wonder how they can break, as they must be designed for lots of people/weight and to be vandal proof, or heavily resistant.

It's either because components are useless or so called 'engineers' install them badly. In the former case this will undoubtedly be because they use cheap foreign rubbish :roll: and in the latter it will be the fault of managers. This is because workers cannot possibly get anything wrong.

 

[jon0844]

It's not very good for people who NEED lifts to get about. Now, since I stopped my daily commuting, I stopped getting the text alerts that told me when King's Cross had limited step free access - so for all I know, they've stopped being as big a problem as they were early on (regular alerts - as well as me seeing for myself the lifts apologising for being out of service on the dot matrix displays).

It's very bad to have a station effectively become inaccessible due to bad design/fitting of lifts. How much more would it have cost for two lifts to be put in for all the platforms at King's Cross (underground) to give some form of backup (and cope with demand - as many people use them with large bags)?

At least in the new overground station bit, there IS step free access even if the lifts fail - albeit with a bit more of a walk - so it's not so bad. Annoying though.

 

[Bungle73]

It's not very good for people who NEED lifts to get about. Now, since I stopped my daily commuting, I stopped getting the text alerts that told me when King's Cross had limited step free access - so for all I know, they've stopped being as big a problem as they were early on (regular alerts - as well as me seeing for myself the lifts apologising for being out of service on the dot matrix displays).

It's very bad to have a station effectively become inaccessible due to bad design/fitting of lifts. How much more would it have cost for two lifts to be put in for all the platforms at King's Cross (underground) to give some form of backup (and cope with demand - as many people use them with large bags)?

At least in the new overground station bit, there IS step free access even if the lifts fail - albeit with a bit more of a walk - so it's not so bad. Annoying though.

Aren't most of the people using the new bridge those from the FC lounge? There can't be that many. Everyone else uses the barriers at platform level, so the station is hardly inaccessible.

 

[Wolfie]

The Thomas Crapper crappers in the Parcel Yard are FOC. Although I'm sure they're intended for pub customers only, of course...

You mean like the ones in the 'Spoons on Victoria station.....

 

[jon0844]

Aren't most of the people using the new bridge those from the FC lounge? There can't be that many. Everyone else uses the barriers at platform level, so the station is hardly inaccessible.

I did try and make it clear that the lifts for 0-8 aren't going to make the platforms inaccessible, but I possibly didn't make myself clear as I was merging with the problems experienced with the lifts at the Underground station. Sorry!

But, if you found the lift to your platform out of service, it would still mean a long trip back - to then come into the platform from the front (arrivals) end. Inconvenient, but not impossible.

 

[tsr]

But, if you found the lift to your platform out of service, it would still mean a long trip back - to then come into the platform from the front (arrivals) end. Inconvenient, but not impossible.

Er, would you have to go that way round? Surely you could use a lift from the bridge to another nearby platform, then make your way along to the buffers and back round to your platform (and train)?

On another note entirely, I don't think that there is nearly enough seating in the lower Western concourse area. Some people need to sit down, and not everyone needs to go in a café. A few more seats would avoid people sitting on suitcases, and there are plenty of places to put them (I have been to the new upper and lower Western concourses a number of times now, and I've observed this a few times).

Also, the new floor surfaces are already starting to get damaged and very mucky. There are plenty of surprisingly cheerful cleaners working quite hard, but dirt, spillages and sticky substances get attached to that flooring like anything.

 

[rdwarr]

Aren't most of the people using the new bridge those from the FC lounge? There can't be that many. Everyone else uses the barriers at platform level, so the station is hardly inaccessible.

Not at all. For example I arrive from St. Pancras so can go straight up on to the bridge and (sometimes) down the escalator which gets me nearer the front of the train which is where I like to sit.
Otherwise I'm effectively walking halfway down the back of P8 then all the way back again.

As the bottom of the escalators is by Coach D they're not much use to FC passengers. Perhaps the trains are now the wrong way round.

 

[Bald Rick]

On another note entirely, I don't think that there is nearly enough seating in the lower Western concourse area. Some people need to sit down, and not everyone needs to go in a café. A few more seats would avoid people sitting on suitcases, and there are plenty of places to put them (I have been to the new upper and lower Western concourses a number of times now, and I've observed this a few times).

All the metal seating on the mezzanine balcony is for anyone to use.