London King’s Cross closure: passengers say ‘tell us often and tell us early’

27 February 2020

Passengers are calling for better information ahead of this weekend’s closure of London King’s Cross.

During the August 2019 bank holiday closure Transport Focus talked to passengers about the impact it had on them. While they had mostly heard about the closure in advance, many felt the warnings hadn’t come early enough.

The closure allowed for engineering works on the East Coast Main Line, part of a long-term project to deliver a major upgrade. The watchdog lent its expertise to Network Rail on how best to make sure passengers were given the information they needed throughout.

There is still much that can be improved on. Mainly, that passengers were not told earlier the station would be shut and the timetable was not in place 12 weeks in advance.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the transport watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“It’s good to see Network Rail listening to passengers, but we want to see better information earlier so passengers are able to plan their journeys.

“While the work at Kings Cross is, overall, a good example of how to carry out major engineering works, there are still things that can be improved.

“Passengers got the message – eventually – but it’s important Network Rail get it right in future.”

The watchdog is calling for:

• early information to allow passengers to plan
• clarity for passengers at the point of ticket sale
• more effort to help passengers understand the benefits the works will bring.