Overview

King's Cross underground station is a major transport hub with 5 underground lines. This was my first visit after shielding and with the introduction of the new one way system as part of covid-19 measures. Previously I have found the tube station verya ccessible, albeit busy. I'm concerned about the new one way layout.

Transport & Parking

King's Cross underground station serves both King's Cross and St Pancras International railway stations. There are several bus routes that stop outside.

Access

There are no obvious changes to the layout from street level. The main concourse in front of the railway station has 2 step free entrances. Since lockdown the the stairs and Lift C have a locked metal grill along the entrance and are not in use. This means that people enter the underground by stairs or Lift D. Before shielding I only used this tube station 2 or 3 times a month and lift D is frequently out of service. I'm concerned about what happens if the lift breaks down again, will this mean that King's Cross underground station will no longer offer any step free access or will they open Lift C be open. The signage is very poor. Apart from floor markings, which are not tactile, with arrows pointing from the railway station to the tube station, you have to nearly be on top of the entrance to realise that it is the entrance. On my outward journey I was very tired just going the short distance to the ticket hall level, this was also partly due to anxiety. I saw that there was some fenced off seating (office style chairs) and I went over to the member of staff there. I asked if the seating was for people needing special assistance and she said no it was for staff. I asked about how busy the tube would be at this time (it was about 11am) and I was told it was quite quiet and that the service was running frequently. They had the same ringed off seating area for staff at the ticket hall office level. I went down on the lift and the train came soon. I managed to get a priority seat. Everyone in my carriage was wearing a face mask. Generally people kept their disatance and the train was not busy. On my return journey, I usually board the train so I will be near the exit when I come out. When I dismibarked I found the usual exit I used was blocked off and a one way system was operating. This meant I had to walk the entire length of the platform. I took so long to walk that the next train arrived while I was still doing this and defeats the purpose of me waiting and trying to avoid people and maintain social distancing, as people just exited the train. I used the lift to get me up one level where there is an extremely long passage way. I had to walk passed the entrance to the Piccadilly line and then further on until I came to a lift or escalator to the ticket hall level. With my crutch I found this walk exhausting. The passage way is very long. There is in most places a central handrail seperating the corridor, so there are 2 paths for different directions of travel. The walls curve vertically so I was unable to stand against the wall to give myself some back support and relief from my back pain. The day I used this the station was not particuarly busy, however if the passenger numbers increase I can imagine this will become very problematic for many people with a mobility impairment due to the distance and the crowds. I exited at a different ticket office which was further way than the one I first used. I had to follow the signs to the circle line to find the exit I wanted, and in doing so I walked passed the blocked off lift C, as I walked to lift D. I was fatigued after I did this and instead of walking 5 minutes to my destination I took the bus one stop as I felt unable to walk further. The return journey made me feel utterly disheartened as it has made a do-able journey, very tiring and stressful.

Toilets

There are no toilets in the underground station but there are accessible toilets and a Changing Places toilet in King's Cross Railway Station. I didn't visit theses during my visit so I am unable to comment.

Staff

On my outward journey, the member of staff was helpful in providing me with general information about how busy and how frequent the tubes are. When I have been at home for a while before I have found it difficult to judge the speed of the escalator and staff have accompanied me by travelling in front. The member of staff said if I wanted to I could use the lift but it was quite a walk away. At that point I felt unable to ask for the assitance I would have received pre-covid-19. I feel the special assistance I could previously expect to have was unavailable to me now. On the way out I said to the member of staff that on the long corridor on the way out there should be some seating for disabled people, under Reasonable Adjustments, as the distance is very long, and previously you could avoid this by using another route. I asked if the suggestion for seating could be fedback but the member of staff said that they would be ignored and it would be best coming from me as a member of the public.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

When I travelled it was not a busy time and I saw people travelling with face masks and adhering to social distancing. If this station gets any busier i am not sure how social disatancing can be maintained. For me personally I'm feeling okish about going into King's Cross underground station but not exiting the station. With the current one way layout, when I am returning from already feeling tired the additional walking route is too much for me. I will only use this as a last resort from now on. I feel the station's new layout is unwelcoming to disabled people with a range of access needs and would like the station to re-consider how better it could improve its access. Sorry for the lack of photos but the journey really tested my spoons.

Photos