St Pancras Intl: Commuter Hell

From a purely selfish perspective, I don’t care what the brand spanking new St Pancras Intl has to offer. I don’t care that it boasts Europe’s longest champagne bar or that you can travel to Paris in 2hrs 15min. The only thing I care about is my attempt to get to work in a timely and orderly manner each day, something I could accomplish perfectly well whilst Kings Cross Thameslink was still open.

Yes, I am one of the unfortunate thousands that have to make their way into London on the First Capital Connect services and then battle their way to the tube. Being forced to use St Pancras Intl adds at least another 15 infuriating minutes to my journey. I put this down to the fact that this new and improved station is simply a chaotic obstacle course for us commuters.

Not only is the underground located on the opposite side of this huge station, but we commuters have to ‘play’ a game of Battle Royale to get there. First there is the initial ticket barrier that creates a painfully slow funnel effect. Once through, you must battle the non-commuting masses; the amblers, the travellers, the abrupt stoppers. There are people everywhere, walking in utter bemusement. Completing that trial you are then rewarded by having to negotiate the rammed ticket purchasing area, filled with tourists donning the largest luggage sets known to man. Trampling and stumbling over those, you finally arrive at the second ticket barrier where it seems the whole of London inter-changes. You are hot and bothered and running late. And if you are unlucky enough to have a ‘faulty’ ticket and need assistance, you have to refrain from combusting at ridiculous requests from transport ‘gate-keepers’ like ‘Can you try swiping it again?’. No!?! Clearly I’ve tried that already…I’m not one for wasting my own time!

With Kings Cross Thameslink there was none of this. Despite the same volume of people, we all headed off the platform and down the single flight of steps towards the tube in solidarity. There were no ‘others’ thrown into the mix for the fun of it. With no barriers to slow us down, no oncoming traffic and everyone practising the unspoken commuter rules, commuting was made sweeter.

So please, please can we have Kings Cross Thameslink back? Failing that, can we have a commuter-only tunnel direct from the platform to the tube? Come on St Pancras, can you redeem yourself…?