Trainspotting: London Kings Cross Station and Orientation

*** update 26/10/2012

From Wednesday 31, October 2012, Network Rail is temporarily changing the way you exit King’s Cross station from platforms 0-8.  You will no longer be able to exit through the old concourse.  However, these exits will remain open:

Left on to York Way

Right into the Underground

Right through the new concourse

The closure is to allow the safe demolition of the old extension and the creation of a public square.

More details and maps can be found on: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6288.aspx

*** end of update

 
19^th September 2012

The Kings Cross area in London is still under reconstruction, though the end shape of the Kings Cross Terminus is now clearer and worth checking for yourself.  After the reopening of the St Pancras development I had an orientation tour of the main features and thought I would do the same for Kings Cross.  My first visit had been in 1969 and my last had been in 2011 when I returned from Hertford North. 

 

View of Kings Cross main entrance from Euston Road

22 November 2012

I entered through the old entrance and could make out the mazes for people standing in line for trains to Edinburgh, Glasgow and points north although the area was deserted.  I followed the sense of the direction to the platforms but a barrier directs you to a left turn in a new concourse.  Having found an information desk, I asked if it would be possible to be given an orientation tour and Craig Tomlin, the duty station manager from Network Rail came and took me round. 

Craig asked what sort of journeys I might want to make and how would I normally arrive at Kings Cross-St Pancras.  He then took me out of the new concourse to a point near Pancras Road, where I could make out the Train Shed of St Pancras.  I recognised the pathway to the side entrance to that station and we started to go back into Kings Cross.  This is a neat way of “wayfinding” as I could start to lay my reel of cotton (metaphorically speaking) so that I could map my movements from a sound base. 

We then passed by Platforms 11,10 and 9 which are the platforms used for local services provided by First Capital Connect (FCC).  This company has a cornflower or powder blue livery for ticket machines and I could sense the “blue” glow without knowing what they were.  The accessible toilets are behind a turnstile and Craig told me how to gain access.  We then entered the main train shed with platforms 8 down to 1 (There is a trackline for Platform 0)  The train shed has been re-fitted and totally re-covered with glass and some solar panels which generate about 20% of the station’s power needs.

The original frontage of this station has been uncovered and with much of the later additions to be removed, will result in a large space adjoining Euston Road.  The new development has much natural light and an open skeletal structure with ribs supporting the glass roof.  There are some monoliths which may have projections and there is a lot of stone and steel.  

View of St Pancras International along Pancras Road

22 November 2012

 

Craig suggested I think of the station as a capital L with the horizontal limb at an angle to Euston Road.  We then retraced our way to the concourse and Craig indicated where there were potential human bottlenecks, with attention focussed on destination boards and sudden movement to the platform.  This is to be expected in any station but it was thoughtful to be made aware of these points. 

After taking me round the station Craig took me over Pancras Road following the tactile surfaces.  We discussed them as they align to a tactile crossing in Pancras Road.  Entering the side entrance to St Pancras, Craig took me to the FCC help desk and the duty staff took me to the Thameslink platform where I was put on a train home. 

This orientation tour was a real confidence booster.  While the track layout is essentially the same, the station has been effectively relocated and is brand new. 

Many thanks to Craig, Network Rail and FCC.   This was undertaken with no advance planning and indicates an awareness in some of our transport management structures. It is worth noting that the London Underground staff at this station (Kings Cross-St Pancras are always approachable as are the staff in St Pancras main station.

First Capital Connect website : http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/

Network Rail website: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/
Website for King’s Cross: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/867.aspx 

Blind Chemist: Future Cities Royal Society of Chemistry Road Map

Update 4/4/2012

The lectures and discussion can be 'viewed' on-line at: http://www.thereaction.net/explore/future-cities/#scipolicy.

** end of update

Future Cities Policy Event - Friday 16 March 2012

Sustainable Future Cities has been highlighted as one of the top challenges that the chemical sciences can help to address in a changing world. 

http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/roadmap/priorityareas/futurecities.asp

I was invited to participate in the first evening of a special series of policy lectures for 2012 run by the Royal Society of Chemistry, bringing together research leaders in their fields with policy makers. The event took place at the Chemistry Centre in Burlington House, London.

There were two lectures and there was a panel discussion on the related science policy issues, followed by further informal discussions over drinks and snacks.  The Lectures were delivered by Dr Richard Miller of the Technology Strategy Board and Professor AbuBakr S. Bahaj of the University of Southampton.

These events bring a wide cross section ranging from some retired people like me and those working in several fields.  Sustainability may be a buzzword but the ideas are not new, certainly not to chemists, and it is worth noting that after the International Year of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Chemistry is maintaining contacts across disciplines and sectors.  This was apparent in some of the questions which followed both lectures.

I attended a conference when at school for young scientists in 1969 and the theme was “Man and his Environment”.  In 1985 I was at a conference in Berlin (West) concerned with chemicals.  The buzz then was growth and predicting demand in China.  At this conference one of the speakers from a Japanese Sogo shosha (trading house) remarked on the Chinese worker carrying their lunch to work in a bamboo lunchbox, and would it not be a good idea to convert the Chinese bamboo lunchbox to one made from polystyrene.  The forecasters were busy working the demand for ethylene, benzene, ethyl benzene and styrene monomer.  At this time a large expansion of petrochemical production had taken place in Saudi Arabia and was to be followed by many Greenfield units in the Gulf, South East Asia and Latin America. 

In 2012 we have the reverse, with many natural materials “replacing” synthetic ones.  This has had mixed results with cloth bags being used in a highly non sustainable way.  I have commented on the “Lucky” bags on offer at the EdinburghBook Festival last year.  Biofuels have also had a mixed press with resources being transferred from food markets to meet the gas guzzling demand of some countries. 

The evening was recorded and though not webcast at the time will be available on the web soon.  Broadly, the lectures covered the following:

• concept of sustainability
• economic statistics relating to current infrastructures in our cities
• current predictions for population growth, and impact on city growth and infrastructure requirements
• the key role of chemists in reducing this impact

• current research being undertaken and technologies available

• an examination of ‘technological’ solutions within the wider context of economics, politics and social practices (i.e. behaviour)

I made a few mental notes and though they are not directly concerned with the cities theme, nevertheless fit into the sustainable “box.”

Futurology may be verging on science fiction and it was interesting that someone from the Arthur C Clarke Award was present.

Peer to Peer is a phrase which often crops up with platform and trading as a mechanism for doing away with the “middle man”, whether it is in banking and finance or in energy trading

While the decarbonising of economies was treated as a given, modes of transport have to be discussed within a city and between the city and beyond cities for leisure. 

The thought of living in Metropolis did not sound too attractive to this post modern visually impaired person. 

Developments in personal electric transports were raised and I thought a flying carpet was mentioned. 

A point was made by Professor Bahaj that behaviour was unpredictable and that forecasts were not always correct in retrospect.

Electric bikes in China cost Euro 250 versus Euro 750 in Europe.  One had visions of Chinese commuters going to work on electric bikes and burning of the fat in the gym fitted with a peer to peer energy trading system.  This raised issues of battery storage and life.

The insurance industry was now calling some of the shots in valuation of building and development such as Swiss Re and Willis Re.

Materials for the manufacture of magnets say in turbines were easily recycleable compared to those used in mobile phones and consumer electronics.  This harks back to the work of Mike Pitts and Hywel Jones described in earlier posts. WIMS

Thermal insulation of buildings was mentioned especially the layers of materials which can be sandwiched between the walls.  The development of an alternative to paraffin wax, which has been used as a phase transfer temperature control, joined with prospect of buildings and glass Photovoltaic systems for energy transfer.  An example was made of a large building in Dubai which generated power and reduced the energy demand for air conditioning. 

Innovation in pumps and design of materials was proceeding but architects and engineers had to be more imaginative. 

Chemists are ideally suited to “improving” some of nature’s processes be it in photosynthesis.  No doubt those specialising on Moral and Ethical issues view us as creators of Frankenstein products and there has been some concern at aspects of bio engineering in agriculture, silviculture and the creation of monoculture industries based on Palm Oil and Eucalyptus for feedstocks.

This was an interesting range of subjects which were covered and there were a healthy amount of sceptics to ensure no one got too carried away.  Energy and sustainability are issues to which I shall return and will add comments and updates to this post.

Many thanks to Andrea and Charlotte of the Royal Society of Chemistry for looking after me.  The RSC has various twitter accounts and RSC_RoadMap may be of interest as could be the Hash Tag #FutureCities

www.rsc.org/roadmapwww.rsc.org/sustainablematerials
Full report on: http://www.rsc.org/images/sustainable-global-society-full-report_tcm18-200081.pdf
Summary report on: www..rsc.org/images/sustainable-global-society-summary-report_tcm18-200080.pdf