Monday 9 Nov 2020
Story of Network Rail’s historic King’s Cross railway station told in new Channel 5 documentary
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
The rich history of one of the most iconic and well-known railway stations in the world will be told in a new documentary which airs on Channel 5 tonight (Monday, 9 November).
King’s Cross Station: Then & Now unravels the 170-year history of the Grade I listed transport hub, from its construction and opening in the mid-1800s to the major interchange which we see today.
The episode explores how the station and the route it sits on, the East Coast Main Line, transformed rail travel between London and Edinburgh and delves into the history of Flying Scotsman and its launch from King’s Cross station in the 1920s.
The programme details changes throughout the wider King’s Cross area, as well as showcasing the expansion and redevelopment of the main station concourse ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Paul Rutter is Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast Route and is featured in the documentary.
Paul said: “King’s Cross railway station has a rich history which deserves to be told.
“The journey which the station has been on since its construction all those years ago is truly fascinating and our teams are working hard to make sure it continues to thrive in years to come.
“It was great to have been involved in the making of this documentary. I look forward to tuning in and I’d encourage all railway and history fans to do the same."
King's Cross station is the southern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, which Network Rail is currently investing £1.2billion into. The East Coast Upgrade will see a disused railway tunnel on the approach to the station reopened, allowing more tracks in and out of the station. Work has also taken place to build a new platform at Stevenage and construction of a new section of railway at Werrington, near Peterborough continues. The project is the biggest upgrade in a generation and will mean quicker, more frequent and more reliable journeys for passengers.
King’s Cross Station: Then & Now will air tonight (Monday, 9 November) at 22:00 on Channel 5.
ENDS
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About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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