Kings Cross/St Pancras Picc and Vic lines

[38Cto15E]

Living in Leicester, I have intermittently used the tube at Kings Cross/st Pancras for longer than I care to remember. 50 years plus, but not the Victoria.

Before the rebuilding of the 2 main line stations I could just walk down the steps and soon be in the booking hall, then I seem to remember that it was just down a steep escalator and I was at the Piccadilly line platforms.

It now seems to me that a long walk is involved from the old booking hall area to reach the Piccadilly or Visctoria lines, am I correct or are the platforms in exactly the same position as before rebuild?

I know there is the extra walk to the EMT platforms from the original area but that is a different story. I will be travelling from Waterloo to Kings Cross/St Pancras next week and the walk seems miles from the Victoria line to the EMT platforms. TIA

 

[causton]

Follow signs for the Circle line. Then you will go up the escalators and come out at the front of Euston Road, in front of the new Kings Cross concourse (just underneath the road, opposite Burger King if you know where that is) and then you can either walk along the corridor to St Pancras and then up from there, or up the corridor towards Kings Cross then across the road or under the subway along from there to St Pancras.

You will come to the part of the image labelled TTH, and from there across the yellow section to the section marked WTH, or up to the section marked NTH.

The long walk is simply to provide capacity: If everyone went the shorter way then the escalators would clog up and the station would be full to capacity and have to close at peak time very often! The long tunnel gives a "buffer" to allow time for crowds to disperse to/from trains.

 

[jopsuk]

from the front of northbound/back of southbound Pic and Vic trains to most of St Pancras and to be honest to the bulk of the Kings Cross concourse it's shorter via the seemingly interminable corridors and the North Ticket Hall (NTH)

 

[bluegoblin7]

from the front of northbound/back of southbound Pic and Vic trains to most of St Pancras and to be honest to the bulk of the Kings Cross concourse it's shorter via the seemingly interminable corridors and the North Ticket Hall (NTH)

Nah. Always quicker to go via the original/Tube ticket hall. As has been mentioned, when exiting follow signs for either 'Circle line' (etc) or Euston Road. The only time one would need to use the link passage is to get to Pentonville Road/the former-Thameslink station. "Trains" will take you along this link passage. Point of order also, the Picc is an 'east-west' railway at this point, so you'd want to be at the back of a westbound train.</pedant>

If entering the station (as I think the OP is doing), the trick is to walk through to the semi-circular Gateline area (TTH) and enter there. Left hand lift for the Northern, left hand escalator for the Picc, right hand escalator for the Vic and right hand passageway (Khyber pass) for the sub-surface lines.

 

[38Cto15E]

Thanks for the help guys, I will see if I can remember the shorter way next week, it used to be so good when arriving at St Pancras and being so close to the tube. I have now got used to the EMT walk but need to get my bearings with your helpful info. Many thanks for taking the trouble to explain things.
Just changing things slightly, the Thameslink lines are very close to the EMT platforms and I should consider using those more often, depending where I am going.

 

[bluegoblin7]

TL is directly below the EMT platforms.

Fastest way from the EMT platforms to the Tube is down the escalators, straight on, left past the Eurostar check in and out onto Pancras Way. Bear right towards the front of King's Cross and in through the Tube entrances (either) there. The Tube ticket hall is sandwiched between them, directly underneath King's Cross Square.

 

[edwin_m]

TL is directly below the EMT platforms.

Fastest way from the EMT platforms to the Tube is down the escalators, straight on, left past the Eurostar check in and out onto Pancras Way. Bear right towards the front of King's Cross and in through the Tube entrances (either) there. The Tube ticket hall is sandwiched between them, directly underneath King's Cross Square.

Slightly further but possibly quicker as you don't get snarled up in the people milling around in the Eurostar area: stay on the high level, go past both statues and through the big arch in the far corner. Then turn left down the steps, cross the road to Kings Cross Square and as above.

 

[Mikey C]

Thanks for the help guys, I will see if I can remember the shorter way next week, it used to be so good when arriving at St Pancras and being so close to the tube. I have now got used to the EMT walk but need to get my bearings with your helpful info. Many thanks for taking the trouble to explain things.
Just changing things slightly, the Thameslink lines are very close to the EMT platforms and I should consider using those more often, depending where I am going.

Isn't more the issue for EMT passengers the fact that the EMT platforms are now tucked away at the back of St Pancras, a long way from the tube lines!

I guess one advantage of using the "new" northern entrances to the Underground, is that there will be fewer Eurostar passengers, who by their nature are likely to be slower and with luggage

 

[pdeaves]

... are the platforms in exactly the same position as before rebuild?

Yes, whatever else has changed in rebuilds, the platforms are unmoved.

 

[CatfordCat]

possibly stating the obvious or irrelevant but if you're keen to avoid changing trains on the underground and getting round KX Underground, bus 59 does now go from Waterloo to Kings Cross / St Pancras (it used to be one of those journeys that you couldn't do without changing, except possibly in the middle of the night on the obscure 'inter station' bus which only ran one or two nights a week - think the 59 has done it a few years now.)

although still a bit of a walk to Tenison Way bus stops at Waterloo (not 100% sure if it's step free) northbound or cross Waterloo Road then escalator access southbound.

If you have a rail ticket that includes cross London on the underground, then it's not valid on buses unless there's a specific failure on the underground and they say tickets will be accepted.

 

[urbophile]

If you have a rail ticket that includes cross London on the underground, then it's not valid on buses unless there's a specific failure on the underground and they say tickets will be accepted.

On the other hand, if you are an aged person like me with an English concessionary travel pass, the bus will be free but the tube (unless you have a through ticket) not.

 

[38Cto15E]

Thanks guys, yesterday I went Leicester-Lymington Pier-IOW-Southampton Central-Leicester via Kings Cross/St Pancras.
I always knew the different ways to reach the original TTH from EMT, and I went high level to the large lovers statue, then down the steps and into the TTH and onto the Victoria line.
On my return I knew that I had to alight at the back of the Vic line tube and ignore the signs for the main line rail stations, very easy to find the original escalators and TTH, thanks to you BMs this has made my journey via KGX/STP underground a lot better.