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Euston Road’s south side gets its own lift into King’s Cross St Pancras Tube
A lift and a double-width staircase replace two old stairways that took up half the pavement, paid for by the developer of the office block next door.
Key facts
- New step-free entrance serves the south side of Euston Road
- A double-sided lift and a double-width staircase replace two stairways with no lift
- Precis Advisory paid the full cost as part of Belgrove House
- The pavement is twice as wide now that the old entrances have gone
King’s Cross St Pancras Tube station now has a step-free entrance on the south side of Euston Road. The new entrance has a lift and sits beside the Belgrove House office development.
It replaces two staircases at the southern end of the subway that runs under Euston Road. Neither staircase had a lift, and together they took up half of the pavement, so the spot was a well-known pinch point for people on foot.
What the new King’s Cross St Pancras entrance looks like
A staircase twice the usual width curves down to a new landing, which joins the existing subway and leads on to the rest of the station. Early plans showed a lift with doors on one side only. The lift that was built has doors on both sides, so passengers walk in one way and out the other instead of backing out.
The chance to rebuild came in 2021, when the office scheme next to the old stairways was asked to leave a cut-out at its corner for a larger staircase and a lift. The developer, Precis Advisory, paid the full cost as part of Belgrove House.
Step-free access on both sides of Euston Road
The station already had step-free access, but only from the north side of the road, where the main entrances and the mainline stations are. Anyone starting on the south side had to cross Euston Road or, more often, struggle down the steps.
The extra lift also gives the station a back-up when one of its other lifts is out of action for a fault or maintenance. Both old entrances have now gone. One was removed while the office was being built and the other in recent weeks, and the pavement is now twice as wide.
Seb Dance, the Deputy Mayor for Transport, said the entrance would “make journeys easier for the many customers who use this busy station every day”. Anne Clarke, who sits on the London Assembly for Camden and Barnet, expects it to make “a real difference to disabled passengers, parents with buggies, older people” and anyone who finds inaccessible transport hard to use. She also thanked the King’s Cross councillors Simpson, Martin-Lane and Bautista for pressing to get it built.
Key questions
Where is the new step-free entrance at King's Cross St Pancras?
On the south side of Euston Road, next to the Belgrove House office development. It connects to the station through the existing subway under the road.
Who paid for the new King's Cross St Pancras entrance?
Precis Advisory, the developer of Belgrove House, paid the full cost.
Was King's Cross St Pancras already step-free?
Yes, but only from the north side of Euston Road. Passengers on the south side had to cross the road or use the stairs.
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