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King's Cross

The Great Northern Railway’s London terminus, opened in 1852: two train sheds side by side behind a plain brick screen by Lewis Cubitt. The southern end of the East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh.

King’s Cross: section at the buffer stops, looking north; the ribs from The Builder (1852) and Walmisley (1888)Class 387 Electrostar10Class 387 Electrostar9Class 801 Azuma8Class 801 Azuma7Class 801 Azuma6Class 801 Azuma5Class 801 Azuma4Class 801 Azuma3Class 801 Azuma2Class 801 Azuma1Class 801 Azuma0105 ft 3 in105 ft 3 in71 ft (21.6 m)West shedEast shedPlatforms 9 and 10435 ft further north, turned 14°
Looking north from the buffer stops. The two sheds are drawn to scale: their 105 ft 3 in spans and the 52 ft curve of their ribs from Walmisley’s Iron Roofs (1888), the ribs’ 2 ft depth and the cast-iron spandrels with their rings from The Builder’s roof details (2 October 1852), the 71 ft height from Network Rail. The tracks are placed from OpenStreetMap, each platform edge at the standard 2 ft 5 in (730 mm) from the nearest rail: platforms 9 and 10 stand in their own shed, about 435 ft further north and turned 14° (its roof is indicative), and platform 0 is outside the east wall. The trains are an LNER Azuma and a Class 387. 5 px per metre.
11Platforms
1852Opened
27.7 millionEntries and exits (2024-25)
14thBusiest station in Britain (2024-25)

Facts

Opened
14 October 1852, by the Great Northern Railway
Platforms
11, numbered 0 to 10, all terminal
Routes
East Coast Main Line; Great Northern routes to Cambridge, King’s Lynn and Peterborough; Hertford Loop
Operators
LNER, Lumo, Grand Central, Hull Trains, Great Northern
Underground
Circle Hammersmith & City Metropolitan Northern Piccadilly Victoria (King’s Cross St Pancras)
Next door
St Pancras International: Eurostar, Southeastern high speed, East Midlands Railway, Thameslink
Train sheds
Two, each 105 ft 3 in (32.1 m) across and 71 ft (21.6 m) high, 800 ft (244 m) long
Architect
Lewis Cubitt, with the engineers Sir William and Joseph Cubitt; western concourse (2012) by John McAslan + Partners
Listed
Grade I (Historic England, entry 1078328)
Interchanges
1.55 million (2024-25)
Managed by
Network Rail

unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓

Where trains go

Where trains from King's Cross go The 13 London termini at their real positions, with each terminus's routes following the railway out of London and then splitting to the parts of the country they serve, set out by compass direction. N Clapham JunctionClapham Junction StratfordStratford Finsbury ParkFinsbury Park Willesden JunctionWillesden Junction LewishamLewisham Elephant & CastleElephant & Castle WimbledonWimbledon River Thames King's Cross to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland: LNER, Grand Central, Hull Trains, Lumo King's Cross to Cambridge and Hertfordshire: Great Northern King's Cross Yorkshire, the North Eastand Scotland Peterborough, York, Leeds, Newcastle,Edinburgh, Aberdeen Cambridge andHertfordshire Stevenage, Cambridge, King's Lynn PaddingtonPaddington MaryleboneMarylebone EustonEuston St PancrasSt Pancras Liverpool StreetLiverpool Street Fenchurch StreetFenchurch Street Cannon StreetCannon Street BlackfriarsBlackfriars London BridgeLondon Bridge Charing CrossCharing Cross WaterlooWaterloo VictoriaVictoria King's Cross

King’s Cross’s routes follow the railway out of London, then split to the parts of the country they reach, set at their compass bearings; point at a line to see who runs it. The other termini are the small dots; select one to open its page. Distances are true at the circle’s edge, 6 miles (10 km) out, and stretched towards the middle so the termini have room. The route colour is the map’s own: not official, and not any operator’s livery. All 13 together: the map on the Maps page.

Platforms 11

King’s Cross today: platform plan, to scale from OpenStreetMapBlue: the two train sheds, 800 ft (244 m) long109876543210Platforms 9 and 10: Great NorthernPlatforms 0 to 8: LNER, Hull Trains, Grand Central, Lumo.Platform 0 (2010) is outside the east wall.100 ftNorth →Platforms and tracks © OpenStreetMap contributors

Seen from above, north to the right, to scale: the platforms and tracks from OpenStreetMap, the train sheds’ 800 ft from Network Rail.

Outside

King’s Cross: the street front, redrawn from The Builder, 22 November 1851216 ft (65.8 m) screen; clock tower 112 ft (34.1 m) to the vane
The street front, facing south onto King’s Cross Square: a plain brick screen closing the ends of the two sheds, with a great arched window to each and the clock tower between them. Redrawn from the engraving in The Builder, 22 November 1851, with its perspective corrected, to Network Rail’s figures: the screen 216 ft (65.8 m) long, the tower 112 ft (34.1 m) to the vane. The tower’s shaft is drawn as built, checked against photographs.

Trains

Great Northern, Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo trains aren’t on GB Trains yet.

History 6

King’s Cross as opened in 1852: plan redrawn from The Builder, 2 October 1852Departure platformArrival platformCab driveWest shed: departuresEast shed: arrivalsPay officeDown parcelsUp parcelsBooking and waiting roomsScreen, on Euston Road050100150200feetN
King’s Cross as it opened in 1852: one departure platform along the west shed, one arrival platform along the east shed, the cab drive beside it (where platform 0 is now), and the booking offices down the west side. Redrawn from the plan in The Builder, 2 October 1852, to its scale of feet. Tracks are not shown.
  1. The Great Northern Railway reaches London, at a temporary wooden terminus at Maiden Lane.
  2. King’s Cross opens: two train sheds behind a brick screen, by Lewis Cubitt.
  3. The laminated timber roof ribs are replaced in iron, the east shed in 1869–70 and the west in 1886–87.
  4. Listed, now Grade I.
  5. Platform 0 opens, on the east side.
  6. The western concourse opens, under a semicircular steel and glass roof by John McAslan + Partners.

Sources 10

Show the 10 sources from Network Rail, Wikipedia, Transport for London and 4 more

Where the sources disagree:

  • Maiden Lane opening: Grace's Guide says 8 August 1850; Wikipedia says 7 August 1850; Network Rail gives only 1850.
  • Iron roof ribs replacing the timber: Historic England's listing says 1869-70 and 1886-7; Grace's Guide says 1866-7.
  • Shed length: 800 ft (Network Rail, Grace's Guide) vs 820 ft (250 m; Dezeen, McAslan). 800 ft is about 801 ft (244 m).
  • Western concourse span: '74 m radius' (Architect magazine) vs '74-metre-wide hall' (McAslan). Not used as a span figure until resolved.
  • Platform count: 11 (0-10) from Network Rail's station page; the reason (2021 removal of old platform 10) is from Wikipedia only.
  • Route names come from Wikipedia only.
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