What is the fastest route from Kings Cross St Pancras to St Pancras International when coming from the Victoria line?

[infobleep]

What is the fastest way to exit from the Victoria line at Kings Cross St Pancrase to reach the Eurostar area at St Pancras International?

Is it to follow the signs to the met / circle lines or is that only if coming from St Pancras International?

I found an article in Buzzfeed but the directions seem to relate to heading to the tube rather than away from it.

The article is mostly a series of images, some with arrows pointing you in the direction.

Here's How To Win At King's Cross Station And Not Be Taken For A Fool

Since the redesign at King's Cross, I've managed to waste countless days of my life wandering around long sections of the station's corridors completely needlessly. However, I feel I have now cracked the system, and here's how it works.

www.buzzfeed.com

Does anyone know what the old ticket hall is called?

 

[JonathanH]

Is it to follow the signs to the met / circle lines or is that only if coming from St Pancras International?

Yes, quickest route to anywhere on the Kings Cross St Pancras complex from the Victoria Line is via the escalators at the western end of the platforms and the old ticket hall.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Follow me signs for Met/Circle, which exits via the old ticket hall

 

[Magdalia]

I worked in London for 30 years, and that required me to use the Victoria Line a lot. It took me a long time to get my head round the geography of what's below the surface at Kings Cross/St Pancras. Quite a bit of it changed when Eurostar came to St Pancras and the new Kings Cross Western Concourse were developed 10-15 years ago.

The important thing to understand is that, although the Victoria Line appears to run north-south on the Tube Map, in the real world it runs east-west through Kings Cross/St Pancras. The western end of the Victoria Line platforms are under the Kings Cross Piazza, the eastern end is way over near to the old Kings Cross Thameslink station somewhere near Grays Inn Road and Pentonville Road.

The escalators at the western end of the Victoria Line platforms come up into the "old ticket hall" which is just below the surface under the Kings Cross Piazza. From there two subterranean passageways lead north to the Kings Cross Western Concourse and west to the Met/Circle/H+C platforms, which are under the Euston Road at the front of St Pancras station. The former of these is outside the LT barrier line, the latter is inside the LT barrier line.

The easiest way from the Victoria Line to Eurostar departures is indeed to follow the passageway to the Met/Circle/H+C Lines, exit through the LT barriers there, then enter St Pancras at the Euston Road end of the St Pancras main concourse that occupies the western side of the Undercroft.

But there is a slightly quicker route. Exit through the "old ticket hall" barriers, turn left and use the staircase up onto the Kings Cross Piazza, near to the corner of Euston Road and Pancras Road. From there, walk along Pancras Road, past the front of the Great Northern Hotel, then enter St Pancras Eurostar departures about halfway along the eastern side of the station, where the taxis drop off.

 

[talldave]

This site might be of interest in visualising the layout:

Station Viewer

 

[infobleep]

Thanks for the replies. It was very easy and actually signposted once I got to the ticket hall. I've read stuff before about faster routes at the station if you do certain things so I was expecting to be sognposted via a long winded route but I wasn't. Maybe I just exited the right end of the platform by chance or the signposted long winded route only applies in other circumstances.

I was looking for a station view so that Web Site will be helpful in future.

I tried searching online but only found something old.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Worth bearing in mind that if anyone needs lifts, because of luggage, buggy or disability, the access to/from the Victoria Line can only be at the ‘north’ end of the platforms via the Northern Ticket Hall.

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks for the replies. It was very easy and actually signposted once I got to the ticket hall. I've read stuff before about faster routes at the station if you do certain things so I was expecting to be sognposted via a long winded route but I wasn't. Maybe I just exited the right end of the platform by chance or the signposted long winded route only applies in other circumstances.

I was looking for a station view so that Web Site will be helpful in future.

I tried searching online but only found something old.

Of course if absolutely everyone follows the old route the station will be regularly closed for overcrowding in the peaks, like it always used to be. They didn’t sign it the way it’s done now just to be awkward. But as long as only a few people do it you’ll be ok.

 

[infobleep]

Of course if absolutely everyone follows the old route the station will be regularly closed for overcrowding in the peaks like it always used to be. They didn’t sign it the way it’s done now just to be awkward. But as long as only a few people do it you’ll be ok.

I fully appreciate that. I was just in a hurry. Am I ever not? Sometimes. I did make my Eurostar train with no issues but officially I should have arrived 58 minutes before departure. I of course arrived ahead of that time.

Incidentally, I attended a Tom Jones concert in Brighton recently and they advised everyone to get a shuttle bus for £5.

I correctly guessed most would follow the advice and thus joined those who didn't and got a cheaper local bus, which probably took me closer to Brighton station, even with the walk from where I alighted.

 

[AlbertBeale]

I worked in London for 30 years, and that required me to use the Victoria Line a lot. It took me a long time to get my head round the geography of what's below the surface at Kings Cross/St Pancras. Quite a bit of it changed when Eurostar came to St Pancras and the new Kings Cross Western Concourse were developed 10-15 years ago.

The important thing to understand is that, although the Victoria Line appears to run north-south on the Tube Map, in the real world it runs east-west through Kings Cross/St Pancras. The western end of the Victoria Line platforms are under the Kings Cross Piazza, the eastern end is way over near to the old Kings Cross Thameslink station somewhere near Grays Inn Road and Pentonville Road.

The escalators at the western end of the Victoria Line platforms come up into the "old ticket hall" which is just below the surface under the Kings Cross Piazza. From there two subterranean passageways lead north to the Kings Cross Western Concourse and west to the Met/Circle/H+C platforms, which are under the Euston Road at the front of St Pancras station. The former of these is outside the LT barrier line, the latter is inside the LT barrier line.

The easiest way from the Victoria Line to Eurostar departures is indeed to follow the passageway to the Met/Circle/H+C Lines, exit through the LT barriers there, then enter St Pancras at the Euston Road end of the St Pancras main concourse that occupies the western side of the Undercroft.

But there is a slightly quicker route. Exit through the "old ticket hall" barriers, turn left and use the staircase up onto the Kings Cross Piazza, near to the corner of Euston Road and Pancras Road. From there, walk along Pancras Road, past the front of the Great Northern Hotel, then enter St Pancras Eurostar departures about halfway along the eastern side of the station, where the taxis drop off.

Although there is a route from the deep tubes to the SSL platforms within the barrier line, that takes you unnecessarily up and down and via the SSL platforms before you're on your way to StP mainline station. The most direct route is (from any of the deep tubes, leaving from the nominally "southern" end in each case) directly up to the old ticket hall (as suggested), then out through the gates, and (ignoring the corridor on the right to the northern ticket hall) along the corridor on the same level ahead of you to your left. In 100 yards or so you're passing the outside of the SSL ticket line, and then there are steps and a lift up to the passageway into StP (including ES).

 

[Railcar]

At Victoria (that's the London one) the route from the main line platforms to the Victoria Line tube platforms takes you along a l-o-o-ong corridor (the same psychology as the lo-o-ong corridor at KC/St P, to spread out crowds). Ignore the signs, head for the westbound District Line platform and look for the 'Victoria Line' exit. Follow the signs and you will join up with the people who have tramped round the lo-o-o-ng corridor.

Meanwhile, at Moorgate, has anyone worked out a short cut to get from the Crossrail platforms to the Northern City platforms? The signs take you up escalators to street level and down steps to the Northern City. There must be a way of cutting through at the level of the Northern City which is 'halfway up' the depth of Crossrail.

 

[Stuwhu]

Incidentally, I attended a Tom Jones concert in Brighton recently and they advised everyone to get a shuttle bus for £5.

I correctly guessed most would follow the advice and thus joined those who didn't and got a cheaper local bus, which probably took me closer to Brighton station, even with the walk from where I alighted.

It's not unusual for stuff like that to happen