There
are three railway stations at Kings Cross, London. Kings Cross Mainline
is currently the biggest with services up the East Coast Line to Scotland
via York and Newcastle. There are also some suburban commuter trains
to just north of London.
Kings Cross Thameslink is a separate station that principally runs
services from Bedford, north of London to Brighton on the south coast.
For visitors the main reason to use these services are the airport
services to both Luton and Gatwick Airport |
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St
Pancras Station is currently being redeveloped. At the moment there
are services to the East Midlands of England via Luton, towns like
Nottingham and Sheffield. The big event will happen in 2007 when the
international Eurostar trains from Brussels and Paris will switch
from Waterloo to St Pancras.
Shops & Services Kings Cross Station
There
is the normal shops and kiosks you would associate with a major rail
station. There are countless outlets offering most snack foods from
Burger King through baguettes, pizza's, pastries to bars and restaurants
offering more substantial fayre.
There is a branch of Boots chemists and of course a choice of newsagents
and money exchange facilities.If
you venture outside the station, the main road Euston Road has a lot
of fast food options in the immediate area with sight, - you may find
prices slightly lower than in the station. These include McDonalds,
KFC and Burger King. There is also a Post Office and a dry cleaner/laundry. |
Kings
Cross itself has an unfortunate reputation. A decade a go the area
was infamous for crime, prostitution and generally not being a place
most people would want to be.
The area now is much better, there is and has been substantial investment
and redevelopment driven by the arrival in 2007 of the international
Eurostar trains.
The area is still not of great interest to visitors. In the immediate
area of the station are some very cheap Kings Cross bed and breakfast
hotels, many of which get good reviews.
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Left
Luggage Kings Cross Station
There
is a left luggage facility at Kings Cross mainline station operated
by the Excess Baggage Company - the company have their own web site.
The office is open 7 days a week from 07:00 to 23:00. You can find
the office at platform 8, midway up the platform. (From the main concourse
looking towards the trains, go to the platform furthest on your left).
The Excess Baggage Company have a monopoly of the left luggage facilities
at most of London's main railway stations and airports. They can also
ship items home if you require. |
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Kings
Cross Underground Station
The London Underground at Kings Cross is perhaps London's busiest
with no less than 5 separate lines radiating out to all parts of
Central London.
There
is direct access to the underground from within all three stations
at Kings Cross
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Kings
Cross Station District
Immediately
outside the station the main street Euston Road, is a 4 lane main
artery of London with a constant roar of heavy traffic.
There are parades of shops facing the station, small independents
and global fast food chains all meeting the needs of the travellers.
Apart from the the fast food outlets and similar there is a Post Office,
a bookmakers and a launderette among others. Needless to say most
of these are open very long hours, 7 days a week. |
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Kings
Cross has some of the cheapest accommodation in Central London, much
of it receiving relatively good reviews. Immediately facing Kings
Cross Mainline station on the other side of the Euston Road is a major
bed and breakfast hotel area.
Nearly every building around Argyle Gardens and along Argyle Road
is a bed and breakfast hotel (see picture above of Argyle Road above,
with St Pancras Station in the background).
There are a few Kings Cross budget hotels, all chains like Comfort
Inn, Travelodge and Premier Travel Inn. These are on the main roads
in the immediate vicinity, but still within sight of the station.
Visitors will not want to venture further than this tight Kings Cross
area in the immediate vicinity of the station. |
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