St P.I..L.L Impressions.

In article <Pine.LNX.4.64.0712121244310.23550@urchin.earth.li >,
twic@urchin.earth.li (Tom Anderson) wrote:

> On Wed, 12 Dec 2007, Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
>
> > In article
> >
> <aed06a12-1a47-47bc-b491-c49c0c73fbbb@q77g2000hsh..com>,
> > paul.oter@ (Paul Oter) wrote:
> >
> >> On 11 Dec, 01:02, rosenst...@cix.co.uk (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote:
> >>> In article
> <e8c4de20-d892-4e28-a8d5-c2f0c9042...@y43g2000hsy..com>,
> >>>
> >>> paul.o...@ (Paul Oter) wrote:
> >>>> On 9 Dec, 23:49, rosenst...@cix.co.uk (Colin Rosenstiel) wrote:
> >>>>> In article <LpU6j.3145$1j1.2...@newsfe7-gui.ntli.net>,
> >>>>> sky.rid...@ntlworld.com (Sky Rider) wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>> How will one get a bike between the platforms and street
> >>>>>>> level then?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> If the lifts (let's call them 1 and 2) are big enough then
> >>>>>> your options are:
> >>>>>> Street level - Lift 1 - Southbound platform
> >>>>>> Street level - Lift 1 - Mezzanine - Lift 2 - Northbound
> >>>>>> platform
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Ugh!
> >>>>
> >>>> Alternatively one could carry one's bike up/down two long
> >>>> stairs, with a mezzanine level in between.
> >>>
> >>> Double-ugh! This is going to be the main railway London gateway
> >>> of the UK's premier cycling city from 2015!
> >>
> >> I suppose you (and I) would be able to cycle to Farrington, City
> >> Thameslink or Blackfriars for a slightly less onerous set of
> >> steps :-)
> >
> > Except that they are rather in the wrong direction for
> > Westminster.
>
> You what? Westminster to Blackfriars is a substantially shorter and
> easier ride than Westminster to King's Cross.

Only if you ignore the train running time. Anyway, how much better is the
platform-street level interchange there?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article <D_udnWNYPY3MZPXanZ2dnUVZ8qKvnZ2d@bt.com>, groups [at]
biddulph.org.uk (David Biddulph) wrote:

> "Dave Hillam" <postmaster@[127.0.0.1]> wrote in message
> news:4768f769$0$515$bed64819@news.gradwell.net...
> > Roland Perry wrote in uk.transport.london on Wed, 19 Dec 2007
> > 08:29:16 +0000 MID<tEqBocCcZNaHFAy0@perry.co.uk>:
> >
> >>Is this the only station with more than one company operating a
> >>ticket office (excluding the Eurostar ticket office for a moment)?
> >
> > Just next door at Kings Cross, shirley?
>
> I thought there was only one office there, in the Travel Centre?
> Where is there another office?

The old WAGN, now FCC one, by the suburban platforms. That is very much
an alternative location to avoid the need for detours to the main travel
centre. You can buy FCC tickets in the TC can't you?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

At 11:48:40 on Sun, 9 Dec 2007 Peter Lawrence opined:-

>First impressions of the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras which opened
>on time this morning (after what must have been a massive tidy-up
>operation).
>
>Spacious platforms, clean and well lit but not inspiring and, as yet,
>minimal advertising. Signs and indicators matching the those rest of
>St.P.I. The train indicators do show intermediate stations (ref
>earlier comment here.) Seats only at the outer ends of the platforms,
>probably not enough of them, particularly since half of them will be off
>the end of 4 coach trains.

That at least is better than St P I, which has NO seats.
--
Thoss

Peter Lawrence wrote:
> First impressions of the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras which
> opened on time this morning (after what must have been a massive
> tidy-up operation).

Where's the street entrance? I drove through Midland Road yesterday and
couldn't see any signs marking a station at all.

In message <475bcc99.9198354@text.news.ntlworld.com>, at 11:48:40 on
Sun, 9 Dec 2007, Peter Lawrence <pj.lawrence@ntlworld.com> remarked:

>Seats only at the outer ends of the platforms, probably not enough of
>them

Whoever designed that aspect of StP (was it the architect we saw
agonising over small details on TV, or someone else) has clearly got an
aversion to seating.

>Delayed commuters will be frustrated since, as might be expected,
>mobile phones do not work on the platforms (does the technology exist
>to fix this?).

Of course. The HEx tunnels have continuous coverage, or they could fit
some microcells for just the platforms. However, they don't even seem to
have wifi in the main shed yet. Another blind spot from the architects?
--
Roland Perry

In message <475bff6a.695057088@news.>, at 14:47:34 on Sun,
9 Dec 2007, Neil Williams <wensleydale@pacersplace.org.uk> remarked:
>
>>Whoever designed that aspect of StP (was it the architect we saw
>>agonising over small details on TV, or someone else) has clearly got an
>>aversion to seating.
>
>Same as Euston[1], then? Maybe it was intentional to encourage
>business for the shops and bars.

When MML was using the Kent platforms as interim-platform, there was
almost a sensible amount of seating near the buffers. But now it's as
bad as KX (which does have seats around the perimeter of the 1970's
concourse, but they are always full). On the other hand, the KX Suburban
platforms have plenty of seating on them.

If the lack of seating is a "feature" then they haven't provided any
useful seating within catering establishments anywhere near the MML
platforms.
--
Roland Perry

In message
<4532e90a-6cb5-43bf-aa22-ca9096831536@e4g2000hsg..com>, at
08:34:47 on Sun, 9 Dec 2007, Railist <EthelandCecil@>
remarked:
>National Rail refers to the station (on it's departures board) as
>STPXBOX.

That Bill Gates is everywhere !
--
Roland Perry

> Surprisingly, the southern ends of the platforms are on a curve but
> these will only be needed if and when we get 12 coaches. This curve
> causes much flange noise from southbound trains to compete with
> automatic train announcements.

This is because the station is superimposed on an existing track
layout with modifcations mainly in the vertical to provide clearance
to the overbridges.

IIRC the radius is around 200m on the Kings Cross curves. There is an
existing left and right hand reverse of similar size curves between
KXT and the new station.

OC

Paul Scott wrote:
> Teething troubles?

Or maybe the fit-out of SPILL was sponsored by Microsoft.

> The trains through the station are currently shown on
> LDBs as calling at St Pancras Domestic, (but not the other way round, ie STP
> only shows EMT trains).

The Journey Planner labelles StP as London St Pancras (Domestic) (STP),
regardless of whether a journey to/from that station involves EMT or
FCC. It is indeed the case that the different labels for StP are
published on the National Rail LDB depending on the operator.

> I'm sure a few weeks ago someone posted a
> separate TLC for the low level platforms.

The low-level platforms were labeled as SPL (London St Pancras {Low
Level)) by National Rail at one point, but if you search for SPL now
you're asked whether you want Leamington Spa, Bath Spa, Cheltenham Spa
or Droitwich Spa.

On Dec 9, 2:38 pm, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> Of course. The HEx tunnels have continuous coverage, or they could fit
> some microcells for just the platforms. However, they don't even seem to
> have wifi in the main shed yet. Another blind spot from the architects?

Who cares about wifi in a railway station? Can't people find something
better to do with their time than surf the internet while they wait
for a train? Any business serfs who need to be online all the time
will have their corporate crackberry anyway.

B2003