Does St. Pancras Station Need A Second Clock?
As I sat in Carluccio’s having my coffee yesterday, I could only see the clock behind me, with a bit of difficulty.
So I got to thinking, that St. Pancras station might need a clock at the other end.
Treating The Buried With Respect
In the September 2012 edition of Modern Railways, there is a small article about the reburying of 300 people from old burial grounds discovered during the building of a new rail flyover that carries the trains for Charing Cross over the top of Borough Market.
Apparently, the novelist Thomas Hardy was involved in the removal of bodies, when St. Pancras station was built in the 19th Century.
I think in this day and age, it was good to see that Network Rail ensured that the new burials in a special plot at the new Kemnal Park cemetery were respectful and echoed how funerals were conducted at the time of the original burials. There is a series of photos here.
St. Pancras, Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley Stations
St. Pancras and Kings Cross stations sit above one of the biggest Underground stations in London; Kings Cross St. Pancras. Over the last few years, the moles have been burrowing deep under and between the stations to make the access between all three stations, accessible for those in wheel-chairs and with heavy cases. It’s not perfect, especially, if you want to make a quick transfer to an Underground line, but it’s a lot better than it was.
Edinburgh Waverley has always been difficult for passengers, unless you arrive and leave in a taxi, as walking up the famous Waverley Steps has not been easy for anybody with a mobility problem. Network Rail are improving the station, by glazing the enormous roof properly with clear glass to get more light into the station and installing lifts to improve disabled access. You’d think the installation of lifts would be welcomed, but I was surprised to read this article in the Edinburgh Guide. Here’s an extract.
Two 16-person lifts now descend to Waverley from the roof of the Princes Mall. Also, as part of the “Waverley Steps Improvement Project” a new covered step and escalator access has been put in between Princes Street and the north entrance to Waverley station.
“The ‘Windy Steps’ have been given a vital upgrade and are now accessible and convenient for all passengers,” said David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, of the “stylish and bright” new entrance.
Personally, I liked it the way things were. Trudging up and down the broad staircase of the well-worn stone slabs of Waverley Steps, there was a sense of walking in the footsteps of millions of travellers before me.
Lifts and escalators leave me cold. The building materials have little of the traditional quality or aesthetic of Edinburgh’s New Town and Old Town architecture. The machinery usually requires large amounts of energy (more CO2 emissions), seeing as they are running all day.
They are, frankly, utilitarian and ugly.
That gives me the impression, that they think things should have been left the way they are.
I travel extensively by train and if you look at Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Newcastle, Sheffield and London Paddington and Waterloo, all have been or are being upgraded to improve the passenger experience.
I suppose the writer would perhaps prefer Edinburgh Waverley to revert to diesel or even steam power for the trains, as they are more in keeping with the history of Edinburgh.
The Big Hole Between Kings Cross and St. Pancras
When I took the Javelin to the Olympic Park, I noticed this big hole between the two stations.
The Big Hole Between Kings Cross and St. Pancras
Looking at this map, it would appear it’s just more offices, with retail underneath.
Could this be deemed boring? A nice public piazza or even some more platforms for the two stations might have been better! But then that wouldn’t have been so profitable.
Midland Main Line To Be Electrified
It is being reported this morning, that the Midlands Main Line from St. Pancras station to Sheffield is going to be electrified. At present it only goes as far as Bedford, which must be one of the most stupid planning decisions by Railtrack and its predecessors.
But then there are several cases, where electrification stopped in the UK, rather than continue to its logical conclusion. I remember as a teenager, that the original plans for electrification in East Anglia included the branch line to Felixstowe. It should probably have included Ely to Norwich and Norwich to Yarmouth as well. Now there is a strong case to electrify Ipswich to Peterborough to haul all that freight from Felixstowe. Although the last bit would be difficult due to the number of bridges on the line, but hopefully when the line was upgraded for larger containers, they did it to allow for electric wires as well. But knowing the muppets in the Department of Transport, that like to think it’s their railway, deliberately didn’t, so that electrification would stay in the sidings.
This is what surprises me about Midland Main Line electrification being announced. Logically, it should be done before the Great Western, as it is a smaller scheme, doesn’t have a difficult tunnel like the Severn Tunnel and many of the current trains can be converted to electric operation, as I posted here. I think it is mostly three track too, which helps with the engineering.
But when do governments do things logically?
Have they seen sense or does Justine Greening read the railway press?
It will be interesting what is said on Monday.
Thinking about this more, we have to take into account the fact that a spur into Heathrow from the west has also been announced. Putting my old project management hat back on, I can’t help feeling that underneath all this is some very good project management. Three electrification projects on the go at the same time, all relatively close together mean that the expensive electreification train that Railtrack has bought can be fully utilised.
The M4 Is Open Again
So what?
After all this is supposed to be a Green Games, so shouldn’t athletes and official be using trains to get to Stratford. The original plans for the Heathrow Express called for the trains to go to St. Pancras as well as Paddington. So what happened to that? Here‘s a press release from Railtrack.
If the Heathrow Express to St. Pancras, had connected to ThamesLink, in say a simple cross platform interchange, that would have been the quick way to get between London’s two biggest airports.
Stations Reborn As Shopping Destinations
This was a sub-headline in The Times yesterday describing the new policy of Network Rail in transforming stations. Head of Retail at the company is quoted as saying that they want to move away from the likes of McDonalds and Burger King. As a coeliac, I say good riddance to both of them. At the two stations fully redeveloped in London, they’ve got a Leon at Kings Cross and a champagne bar and Carluccio’s in St. Pancras. Both stations have proper pubs too. Next for the treatment in London is Waterloo, with Euston and Birmingham to follow. Both of the latter are terrible.
The Head of Retail also talked about removing the stranglehold of W H Smith, a shop of last resort if ever there was one. A French company, Relay, has been invited to open in Cannon Street.
Stations can’t be improved fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.
What Do You Think Of It Boys?
The picture shows three High Speed Diesel Trains this morning in platforms seven, six and five at Kings Cross station this morning. Note that platform seven is to left.
Three High Speed Diesel Trains at Kings Cross
For those of you, who know Kings Cross station, they started running to the station at the end of the 1970s, which is just about the time, that the disgusting dark green extension was erected.
The irony is that they’ll actually outlive the extension, by several years.
So good old British Rail did get some things right. But not stations! Where should Network Rail’s refurbishment experts strike next in London? After all, they’ve now done or have nearly finished St. Pancras, Stratford, Clapham Junction, Blackfriars, Kings Cross and Paddington. I think London Bridge and Waterloo are being planned. But what about the others!
Vote now and vote often.
London Is Alive With the Sound of French
I don’t know why, but London this morning seemed to be full of the French. I thought it might have something to do with the rugby, but France play England in Paris on the 11th.
I was travelling to Westbourne Park station and back and both ways I had to sort out groups of French travellers, who had got lost. One thing that seems to have confused them, is that the Circle line, is no longer what it says on the tin. So experienced travellers to London, who want to get between say St. Pancras International and Victoria stations with heavy cases, get rather confused with having to change trains at Edgware Road station. The first group had been so confused they’d actually got on the westbound, rather than the eastbound they needed. I came back from Paddington and there it is more confusing, as all eastbound trains terminate at Edgware Road. The information leaves a lot to be desired.
I still haven’t found out why all the French were here, but something was up, as why would there have been a TV crew at St. Pancras.
TV Crews at St. Pancras
I think they could have been French!
The Anonymous Widower 