King's Cross Station Redevelopment

King’s Cross station is at the heart of the busiest transport interchange in the country. Over 47 million people use the station every year, and this is expected to rise by a further 10 million within a decade. The station suffers from congestion during peak hours and shops and passenger facilities are limited.

King’s Cross will be transformed into a world class transport hub which can meet future demand and offer the best facilities for passengers. Over £400 million will be invested in the station, funded by the Department for Transport and Network Rail.

The station will be extended through a new and iconic western concourse, three times the size of the current concourse area. Passengers will be able to enjoy new shops and restaurants, as well as improved access to services on the underground, the new Thameslink station and domestic and international services at the adjoining St Pancras International station.

Project milestones

The Department for Transport agreed funding for the King’s Cross station and King’s Cross St Pancras Underground station in 2005. Click here to find out more.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was King’s Cross built?

King's Cross was originally designed and built as the London hub of the Great Northern Railway and terminus of the East Coast Main Line. It was constructed from 1851 to 1852, on the site of a former smallpox hospital.

How many people use King’s Cross station each year?

King’s Cross is already one of the busiest transport interchanges on the rail network with over 47 million passengers a year, rising to over 50 million within a decade. The station links services from Edinburgh, Newcastle and the east coast to six different underground lines (Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines), Thameslink, and the domestic and international services from neighbouring St Pancras International station.

What are you doing to protect the existing heritage at King’s Cross station? 

Network Rail is working with English Heritage to best protect and refurbish the historical parts of the station to bring King’s Cross station back to its former glory.

• The original 19th Century façade of the station will be restored, and the existing 1970’s concourse will be dismantled
• The main train shed roof will be restored
• Network Rail is producing a written record of all historical items in the station, which will be overseen by English Heritage and Camden Council
• A new ticket office will be created in the same location as the original ticket office (next to platform 8). 

What are the benefits for passengers from the new design? 

Network Rail’s central concern at King’s Cross is to create a world class station for the millions of people who use it. We will:

• Triple the size of the concourse area, providing room for current and future passenger numbers and more shops and seating areas for passengers to use whilst waiting for trains
• Make the station lighter and more pleasant, as a result of the glass and aluminum concourse roof and refurbished train shed roof
• Improve access, including for disabled passengers, as well as links to underground, Thameslink, domestic and international services
• Increase train capacity by building an additional platform which could deliver between 7 and 24 more trains during the morning peak period. The platform will also significantly reduce any service disruption during construction.

How will the King’s Cross station redevelopment benefit the local community?

• As well as redeveloping the station itself, Network Rail will spend over £6 million to create a major new public piazza space outside the southern end of the station which will be larger than Leicester Square
• Network Rail has given £750,000 to Camden Council to spend on improvements to the local area
• The equivalent of almost 400 jobs will be created as a result of this work and Network Rail is working with surrounding local authorities to support training and employment for people in the local community
• Network Rail has also pledged to provide £175,000 to increase the number of covered cycle racks for the station. This will help to provide 800 more spaces for bike parking in the King’s Cross Central site in time for the Olympics
• King’s Cross has been identified by the Mayor’s London Plan as an area of potential growth. Network Rail is working closely with local authorities and neighbouring developers (London and Continental Railways, and Argent plc) so that plans for the station support this wider development. Network Rail will also support a number of local community groups throughout this project.

Community Event

Network Rail held a drop-in day on 29 January to invite passengers and members of the local community to look at plans for the station. Stakeholders including the Mayor of Islington were among those who turned up to learn more about this exciting project.

War Memorial

As we redevelop and restore King’s Cross station, we are taking down the war memorial panels to keep them safe throughout the construction period.

The memorial is to railway staff who gave their lives in World Wars One and Two. We will carefully preserve and restore the panels, before finding a permanent home for the memorial in the new concourse.

Q. What is happening to the war memorial?
A. The memorial will be removed from its current position at King’s Cross Station whilst works are being undertaken in the area. The war memorial will be taken down, carefully refurbished by heritage experts, and safely stored. The finished memorial will be re-erected in its final location in the new Western Concourse, which is due to be completed before the Olympics in 2012. We are currently looking at options to relocate part or the entire memorial to a temporary location within the station.

Q. Why do you need to move the memorial from the current position?
A. The war memorial has been moved because a new set of stairs and lifts will be built close to the existing location. This new entrance will provide easier access for passengers, especially those who may be mobility impaired, into the new London Underground ticket hall. It is important to position the memorial in a new space which allows people to continue to pay their respects unhindered by passengers trying to access the Underground.

Q. Where will the memorial be finally located?
A. We are working with the War Memorial Trust to find the best possible place for the war memorial.

Q. Can you guarantee that the memorial will not be damaged?
A. Our approach is designed to safeguard the memorial throughout the construction period. Network Rail has a great deal of expertise working on a wide range of heritage sites and artefacts. We have engaged a contractor with experience of such works so that the removal and refurbishment will be carried out properly. The contractor we have engaged is also on the war Memorial Trust’s approved contractor list.

Q. What status does the memorial have (e.g. listed/heritage etc.)?
A. The War Memorial is part of King’s Cross which is a Grade 1 listed building.