Network Rail declares 拢550m five-year programe finished and ready to open
King鈥檚 Cross Station鈥檚 拢550m western concourse is complete and will open to the public next week, Network Rail said today.
It said the five-year project represented the biggest transformation in the station鈥檚 160-year history and would see some 45m passengers a year benefit from a trebling of the concourse size, better lighting, larger destination boards, clearer announcements, and a wider range of shops and restaurants.
The work has involved more than 1,000 tonnes of steel, 1 million specially-made heritage bricks, 5 million ceramic tires and 5 million metres of cabling.
Network Rail chief executive David Higgins said the improvements represented 鈥渁 symbol of what can be achieved with the right vision, partnerships and a sustained commitment to investing in [the] country鈥檚 infrastructure鈥�.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said the station improvements were 鈥渟tunning鈥� and would play a vital role in the wider regeneration of the capital.
鈥淭ogether with the architectural marvel of St Pancras and an improved tube station, we have created a truly stunning world class travel hub ensuring a splendid gateway for the millions of people using these stations every year,鈥� he said.
Network Rail said a further phase of development to a different area of King鈥檚 Cross station will complete in autumn 2013.
As well as the restoration of the station鈥檚 double-barrel roof and famous clock tower, engineers will remove the eyesore 1970s green canopy on Euston Road to reveal Lewis Cubitt鈥檚 original fa莽ade and create a new public space the size of Leicester Square.
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