St Pancras revamp diversions

[stpancake]

Hola!

Was watching a documentary on the revamps done to St Pancras and noticed they mentioned some trains were diverted using a "special extension", couldn't find any pictures and wondered if anyone had any? Apparently it was the “King’s Cross Temporary Terminal”, on platforms 9 & 10

 

[Magdalia]

Hola!

Was watching a documentary on the revamps done to St Pancras and noticed they mentioned some trains were diverted using a "special extension", couldn't find any pictures and wondered if anyone had any? Apparently it was the “King’s Cross Temporary Terminal”, on platforms 9 & 10

The temporary platforms were roughly where the Javelin platforms are now at St Pancras.

In that period platforms 9, 10 and 11 at Kings Cross were in continuous use for Great Northern trains and had no capacity to accommodate diversions.

 

[stpancake]

The temporary platforms were roughly where the Javelin platforms are now at St Pancras.

In that period platforms 9, 10 and 11 at Kings Cross were in continuous use for Great Northern trains and had no capacity to accommodate diversions.

Oh interesting, st pancras was still open but in a new section? How did they finish building the Javelin section while trains were in service, as they said it was a temporary structure?

 

[Magdalia]

Oh interesting, st pancras was still open but in a new section? How did they finish building the Javelin section while trains were in service, as they said it was a temporary structure?

I can't remember all of the details.

North side Thameslink trains used the St Pancras temporary platforms during the winter 2004/05 timetable while the low level lines were closed for the construction of the box for the new low level station. These then reverted to going through the core and calling at Kings Cross Thameslink until December 2007.

I can't remember what happened with Midland Main Line trains, and when. I suspect that what are now the East Midlands platforms were completed first, with temporary access arrangements, so that the temporary platforms on the east side could be replaced with the Javelin platforms.

 

[Bald Rick]

The temporary platforms were roughly where the Javelin platforms are now at St Pancras.

I can't remember what happened with Midland Main Line trains, and when. I suspect that what are now the East Midlands platforms were completed first, with temporary access arrangements, so that the temporary platforms on the east side could be replaced with the Javelin platforms.

They weren’t temporary - it was the final platform layout, brought into use. There were some temporary works for access etc, and a few of the platforms were later extended back into the main train shed, but the platforms used are those used today.

Essentially there was 1 platform for Thameslink services, (what is now Platform 13), and at peak times two were used (what are now 12 and 13). This was only for the Bedford services; the stoppers to Luton started / terminated at Kentish Town for the duration, and the semi-fasts were not operated at all.

The EMT services were run off what are now platforms 12, 11 and 10, with the latter having buffer stops level with the others. There were no Corby services then, and it was just a 4 trains an hour service off 2 / 3 platforms.

It all worked like a charm and was very reliable.

North of the platforms the tracks were slewed across to the MML, albeit avoiding the very large hole in the ground that was to become the Low Level station box.

 

[Magdalia]

They weren’t temporary - it was the final platform layout, brought into use. There were some temporary works for access etc, and a few of the platforms were later extended back into the main train shed, but the platforms used are those used today.

Thanks. It is 20 years ago now and the memories are a bit hazy.

Essentially there was 1 platform for Thameslink services, (what is now Platform 13), and at peak times two were used (what are now 12 and 13). This was only for the Bedford services; the stoppers to Luton started / terminated at Kentish Town for the duration, and the semi-fasts were not operated at all.

But I have found a December 2004 Thameslink timetable, which shows the off peak service at St Pancras as being 4tph to/from Bedford, plus 2tph for each of St Albans and Luton (basically the northern end of the Sutton loop service). It doesn't show anything turning at Kentish Town. Furthermore, nothing going into St Pancras in the morning peak called at West Hampstead or Kentish Town; the timetable says "this is because of concerns about safety". The modern footbridge with the lifts at West Hampstead and access to/from Iverson Road wasn't there in 2004, only the old footbridge close to West End Road.

 

[Bald Rick]

But I have found a December 2004 Thameslink timetable, which shows the off peak service at St Pancras as being 4tph to/from Bedford, plus 2tph for each of St Albans and Luton (basically the northern end of the Sutton loop service). It doesn't show anything turning at Kentish Town. Furthermore, nothing going into St Pancras in the morning peak called at West Hampstead or Kentish Town; the timetable says "this is because of concerns about safety". The modern footbridge with the lifts at West Hampstead and access to/from Iverson Road wasn't there in 2004, only the old footbridge close to West End Road.

Hmm. That has triggered my memory - and yes there were stoppers into St P. I remember a ceratin set of points at Carlton Road junction being super critical for that so they were replaced in advance. The timetable worked such that there were effectivley two single line sections from the slows at Carlton Road to St P, with a two track loop in the middle The stoppers were timed to cross in the loop; in practice the inbound service waited in the loop while the outbound departed.

There must have been 5 or possibly 6 platforms in use at St P, and they would have been the final platforms (or north end thereof.) I’ll dig out some old papers.

 

[Magdalia]

The timetable worked such that there were effectivley two single line sections from the slows at Carlton Road to St P, with a two track loop in the middle The stoppers were timed to cross in the loop; in practice the inbound service waited in the loop while the outbound departed.

The timetable for the stoppers fits with that, with simultaneous departures of outward trains from St Pancras and inward trains from Kentish Town.

 

[Bald Rick]

I’ve been through some old stuff, but I wasnt involved directly so it’s fairly scant info.

Platforms 10-13 were opened for EMT services only on 12 April 2004 (Easter Monday), as the ‘interim’ station.

Then in September 2004, platforms 8 & 9 were also opened, as this is when the Thameslink core was blocked for 35 weeks for the construction of the box for the low level station (But not for the fit out, that came later). I’m is also when the tunnels connecting the Thameslink box to the ECML were broken through, indeed the northbound one was bored at that time as it is close underneath the Thameslink tunnel and it was best to do with noo services running. Back to the interim station - it was only the north end of Platfroms 8, 9 & 10 that were open, with a temporary concourse behind the temporary buffer stops.

For the duration of the Thameslink core block, 12tph max operated by FCC (as was) into the new platforms upstairs, 8tph off peak. A lower level of service was operated from the south terminating at Kings Cross Thameslink, and of course some terminated at the okd bays at Blackfriars. Thameslink was an 8 car railway max back then.

When the block finished, at the May 2005 timetable change, IIRC the EMT services reverted to P10-13 for a while, before later moving to their current place on P 1-4.

What I’ve just realised is that it means the ‘new‘ St Pancras celebrates its 21st birthday of opening next month. How time flies.

 

[swt_passenger]

There’s a good description of how and when temporary changes were made in an Arup in house magazine article from 2004, the pdf is downloadable at the link below. The St Pancras station work itself is at pages 46-55:

The Arup Journal 2004 - Issue 1

This special issue of The Arup Journal looks at Arup's work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project. Articles include a look at the rail engineering, ground engineering and the tunnel engineering involved in delivering this mega project.

www.arup.com