Arriving back at St Pancras after an afternoon out giving a talk at a school in Derbyshire I noticed that the escalators leading down from the eastern exit to the concourse and down under Pancras Road were open.
Descending into the Underground station’s new northern ticket hall, freshly opened this week, was a revelation. As anyone who’s tried to buy a ticket on a Saturday morning will testify Kings Cross has needed huge amounts of new space, ticket machines and information booths for years. And now it’s got it. The escalators to the Northern Line (I haven’t explored the other lines yet) bypass the chaos of the old access points completely. The prominent signage to the Regent’s Canal is another nice touch.
It’s slightly disorienting to suddenly have a different set of twists and turns to negotiate. This map from TfL helps make sense of it. Click to enlarge.
London has one terminus (St Pancras) to be proud of, King’s Cross being fast renovated and a tube station for them both that’s finally heading in the right direction. The escalator up from the Piccadilly Line with gaping holes in the roof will not be missed. More from TfL
Tom Hall: travel, London, other things 