The Anonymous Widower

Getting Between Kings Cross/St. Pancras and Euston

London’s three major stations that serve the North and of course the Continent; Kings Cross, St. Pancras and Euston, are all close together on the Euston Road.

The first has been superbly rebuilt, the second is approaching the end of a major redevelopment and they now share probably the best Underground station in London. But Euston is rather isolated from the other two, with several ways to get between them.

1. You can take a rather unpleasant walk along the busy Euston Road.
2. You can use the Metropolitan or Circle lines, but this means a walk to or from Euston Square at the Euston end.
3. You can dive into the Underground and take the Victoria or Northern lines, but it is not step free at the Euston end, and not recommended with a heavy case. Both deep stations are also easy places to get lost or confused.
4. Going from Euston to Kings Cross or St. Pancras is quite easy by bus 30, 73, 205 or 476, which you catch in front of Euston station, but the reverse journey means you have to cross Euston Road twice.
5. There are of course taxis.  But not everyone can afford them.

As I had time to spare at Kings Cross, before I caught my train to Hartlepool, I decided to investigate and found a map which showed there was a fairly simple direct walking route that avoided the pollution and traffic of the Euston Road.

I started by walking through St. Pancras station and exited by the cab rank onto Midland Road, with the intention of going down Brill Place.

Crossing Midland Road

There is a light controlled crossing, but it is rather blocked by badly placed railings and the cab rank. Brill Place, which is the start of the road to Euston is on the left.

Brill Place is flanked on one side by the new Francis Crick Institute and on the right, there is a small pleasant park, which could provide an oasis from the crowds in the stations.

Brill Place

Brill Place itself, is not a grotty dusty road lined by parked cars, but a wide tree-lined avenue that leads on to Phoenix Road.

Towards Pheonix Road

At the end of Phoenix Road, you just cross Eversholt Street on one of the two pedestrian crossings and you walk down the road to Euston station.

The advantages of the route are as follows.

1. The route is virtually flat.
2. It would be easy trailing quite a large case.
3. There are only two major roads to cross and both have light-controlled pedestrian crossings.
4. There is the park, which would as I said before, be a better place to eat a packed meal than the station.
5. You do pass a few shops and a reasonable-looking pub.

But there are disadvantages.

1. The route is not signposted.
2. The barriers at the St. Pancras end are wrongly placed.
3. The side entrance to Euston station could be better.

So how would I make it better, so that in effect we had one super station for the north.

1. I’d start with sign-posting. The posts are there at the St. Pancras end already.
2. Perhaps, it should be marked on the ground, as a Kings Cross/St. Pancras to Euston walking route.
3. You might even provide some eco-friendly transport along the route, like an electric shuttle bus or bicycle rickshaws.
4. A couple of suitably placed Boris bike stations would help too.
5. Shops and cafes should be developed along the road.  There are some already.

To me though, this is one of those things that will happen.  But probably first in a very unofficial way, as how many of those that work in the Francis Crick Institute will commute into Euston and walk there? It won’t be a small number.

It took me about fifteen minutes to do the walk and I just got a 205 bus back to Kings Cross for my train from the front of Euston station.

October 15, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | Health, Transport/Travel | Buses, Euston Station, Francis Crick Institute, Kings Cross Station, London Underground, Research, St. Pancras Station, Stations, Taxis, Trains, Walking