New King’s Cross station celebrates happy first birthday as satisfaction rockets

Tuesday 19 Mar 2013

New King’s Cross station celebrates happy first birthday as satisfaction rockets

Region & Route:: National

King’s Cross station has seen a record-breaking jump in customer satisfaction in the year since the award-winning western concourse opened to the public, new research shows.

The latest annual figures from Passenger Focus shows King’s Cross station has risen from bottom to joint-second among Network Rail's managed stations in the satisfaction table, with 94% of passengers satisfied compared with just 56% in spring 2011. King’s Cross is now just 1% behind its neighbour, St Pancras International.

Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Passengers tell us that station improvements make a big difference to their journey experience – and the revamped King’s Cross station has achieved a 33 percentage point increase in satisfaction in our most recent National Passenger Survey. Our message to industry is to ensure that any investment is targeted at things that passengers want.”

Since March 2012 King’s Cross station has seen:

The opening of the award-winning western concourse, giving passengers three times more space with more shops and better facilities
The completion of the reglazing and renovation of the main train shed roofs
A problem-free London 2012, with longer, more frequent trains running later into the night
The closure and demolition of the old and cramped southern concourse to reveal the original Victorian façade and make room for London’s newest space – King’s Cross Square

Whilst the redevelopment will not be completed until the new public square opens this autumn, the new concourse has already dramatically changed the way passengers feel about the station. Stylish, modern, clean, easy to use – these are just a few of the words used to describe the concourse.

Network Rail station manager, Tom Caine said: “Passengers now have the modern, spacious concourse they deserve and a facility capable of taking everything that’s thrown at it, as we saw during the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics and Paralympics.

“With the opening of the new King’s Cross Square in the autumn we’ll see a further big step forward with the station’s contribution to the regeneration of the whole area.

“I’d like to thank everybody for their patience whilst we carried out the work and hope it gives some assurance to passengers that the inconveniences incurred whilst we develop other stations such as London Bridge and Waterloo is well worth it”

The stunning glass and steel western concourse – the biggest of its kind in Europe – has also been widely acclaimed , winning numerous awards, most recently the MIPIM Awards 2013 (Best Refurbished Building and Special Jury Award) and Rail Station of the Year at the London Transport Awards 2013.

John McAslan CBE, executive chairman and founder of John McAslan + Partners, said: “We are very proud of our role as lead architects and master-planners of the King's Cross station redevelopment, and it's immensely satisfying that the project was delivered on time, ready for the capital's celebration of the London Olympics last summer.”

Notes to editors

Passenger research
Research carried out annually by Passenger Focus shows King’s Cross station has risen from bottom to joint second in satisfaction table.

Spring 2011 - 56%
Autumn 2011 – 61%
Spring 2012 – 71%
Autumn 2012 – 93%

Other research carried out by Network Rail in February 2013 shows:

94% of KX station users agree or strongly agree that ‘investment in the railways is good for the economy’, up from 87% in 2012
90% of KX station users believed that King’s Cross Station has improved a great deal/a lot compared to what it was a year or so ago and this rises to 93% for Leisure station users and non-passengers
38% of KX station users say that they use catering facilities a lot more or a bit more often since the opening of the new Western concourse
27% of KX station users say that they use the retail outlets a lot more or a bit more often
The majority of respondents believe the new Western Concourse has improved all aspects of the station with appearance (95% saying yes), environment (93%), signage (86%) and accessibility (85%) as the most obvious improvements

King’s Cross station redevelopment - the story so far
Since work started in 2007, Network Rail has added a new platform, built the new concourse, restored both the eastern and western ranges (which run the length of the station) and restored the original Victorian roof which sits between the two. Not a single train has been cancelled as a result of the work during the five-year construction period.

The western concourse
Designed by award-winning architects John McAslan + Partners, the western concourse - a stunning glass and steel roof structure (the largest of its kind in Europe) – sensitively complements the Grade-1 listed station’s heritage to create a space for passengers that is three-times larger than the former concourse, with improved links to both the London Underground network and St Pancras International station, buses and taxis.

Awards won include:

Winner, MIPIM Awards 2013, Best Refurbished Building and Special Jury Award
Winner, London Transport Awards 2013, Rail Station of the Year
Winner, London Planning Awards 2012/13, Best Building Project
Winner, Bentley ‘Be Inspired’ Award 2012 (Innovation in Building category)
Winner, Elle Decoration Awards 2012
Winner, National Rail Awards 2012, Project of the Year
Winner, Institute of Structural Engineer Awards 2012, Infrastructure or Transportation Structures
Winner, British Construction Industry Award 2012, Conservation Award
Winner, National Transport Award, Tom McCarthy Award, Infrastructure Project of the Year 2012
Overall Winner, New London Awards 2012 (and winner of both Transport & Infrastructure and Conservation & Retrofit categories)
Winner, AJ Retrofit Award 2012, Transport Building
Winner, Network Rail Partnership Awards 2012, Heritage and Best Large Project
Winner, ICE London Civil Engineering Awards 2012
Winner, Network Rail Partnership Award for Heritage 2010, Eastern Range

Timeline
November 2007: Network Rail obtains full planning permission for station redevelopment
March 2009: refurbishment of the eastern range building complete
December 2009: London Underground ticket hall opens
May 2010: new platform (Platform 0) under the eastern range opens
19 March 2012: new Western Concourse opens
August 2012: restoration of Victorian roof complete
October 2012: removal of old concourse and start of work on King’s Cross Square
Autumn 2013: new public square opens marking project completion

King’s Cross Square – opens autumn 2013
For the final phase, Network Rail have removed the front canopy and are busy creating a new 7,000m2 square, bringing something of the grandness and old-world charm of Europe’s city-centre railway stations to the heart of the capital. The square will open to the public in autumn 2013. The square has been designed by award winning architects Stanton Williams.

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