King's Cross Thameslink railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = King's Cross Thameslink


caption = King's Cross Thameslink
owner = Network Rail
manager = Metropolitan Railway
zone = 1
railcode = KCM
locale = Kings Cross
latitude = 51.5308
longitude = -0.1202
borough = Camden
platforms = 2
railexits0405 = 7.715
railexits0506 = 8.821
years = 1863
events = Opened as "King's Cross Metropolitan"
years1 = 1940
events1 = London Underground platforms closed
years2 = 1941
events2 = Renamed "King's Cross Midland"
years3 = 1979
events3 = Closed at part of the Great Northern Electrification Project
years4 = 1983
events4 = Reopened and renamed "King's Cross Midland City" as part of the "Midland CIty line" electrification project
years5 = 1988
events5 = Renamed "King's Cross Thameslink"
years6 = 9 December 2007
events6 = Closed

King's Cross Thameslink station is a closed railway station in central London, which served the Thameslink route. It was replaced by new Thameslink station at St Pancras in 2007. The last operator of the station was First Capital Connect. The site is located on Pentonville Road, approximately convert|150|m|yd|abbr=on from King's Cross station.

The station occupied part of the original site of the Metropolitan Railway's 1863 King's Cross station. Its original street buildings were a little further west than the later station frontage and, although in poor repair, may still be seen. The Thameslink platforms on the City Widened Lines were separated only by a newer wall from the site of the Underground platforms, which may still be seen on the west side from Underground trains travelling between King's Cross St. Pancras and Farringdon stations.

The two platforms at King's Cross Thameslink were designated A and B, in contrast to the platform numbers used at most other stations. This avoided confusion with the platforms at nearby King's Cross, which may have been regarded as part of the same station complex. A similar situation exists at Waterloo East station, an annexe of London Waterloo.

The Thameslink platforms were linked directly by stairs and a tunnel to the Victoria and Piccadilly line platforms at King's Cross St. Pancras, and via both sets of platforms to the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Northern lines.

History

In 1941 the Metropolitan and District services (today's Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith and City line services) were relocated in a new station further west, however the mainline services continued to use the original station until 1979.

In 1983 the station reopened as "King's Cross Midland City", which changed its name circa 1988 to "King's Cross Thameslink".

In the early hours of 9 December 2007, Kings Cross Thameslink was closed permanently, having been made redundant by the extended St Pancras station nearby.

Closure

In February 2006, the then Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced additional funding of £63 million in order that work to complete a new Thameslink station could start in the summer of that year, and it was announced in September 2007 that the existing Kings Cross Thameslink station would close on 8 December 2007. The last train was the 23:59 from Haywards Heath, which called at Kings Cross Thameslink at 01:08 on Sunday 9 December 2007. [cite web
url = http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=77
title = First Capital Connect : St Pancras International
accessdate = 2007-12-06
publisher = http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/] From 9 December 2007, First Capital Connect services started to call at a set of new platforms built underground at St Pancras. [ [http://www.thisishertfordshire.co.uk/news/stalbans/display.var.1894428.0.new_station_sets_the_standard.php 'New station sets the standard'] 10 December 2007] The new station, which is located beneath the main station complex, is capable of handling 12-carriage trains and will have sufficient capacity to serve the future Thameslink Programme route (upgraded from the original Thameslink network), and in addition has much better pedestrian links to the mainline platforms at both St Pancras and, in time, King's Cross. However, the increased walking distance to the deep-level London Underground lines means that connections between the deep-level lines and Thameslink take (on average) five minutes longer. [cite web
url = http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/Main.php?iCmsPageId=77
title = St Pancras International
accessdate = 2007-10-23
publisher = First Capital Connect]

The foot tunnel from Kings Cross St. Pancras tube station to the ticket office of the former Thameslink station is now open 07:00-20:00 Mondays to Fridays to provide extra access to London Underground platforms from Pentonville Road. [cite web
url = http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/47
title = King's Cross & St Pancras Upgrade
accessdate = 2007-10-23
publisher = alwaystouchout.com]

Gallery

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PlatformsImage:KingsXtunnel.jpg|Looking_south_along_King

See also

* St Pancras International station
* First Capital Connect
* Thameslink
* Thameslink Trains
* London Underground
* Kings Cross railway station

References

External links

* [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/k/kings_cross_thameslink/index.shtml Disused Stations: Kings Cross Thameslink]
* [http://www.abandonedstations.org.uk/Kings_X_Thameslink.html London's Abandoned Stations - Kings Cross Thameslink]
* [http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/ First Capital Connect website]
* [http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/major-developments-in-camden/kings-cross/public-transport.en?page=2 Information about the Thameslink 2000] work, from Camden Council