King's Cross Concourse Opens

King's Cross Gets An Expensive Makeover
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One of the country's best-known railway stations is reopening after a £550m facelift, marking the biggest transformation in its history.

The new concourse at King's Cross in London, designed by architects Stanton Williams, will open to the public on Monday 19 March, providing visitors with three times the space of the current station concourse.

At this week's formal opening, an audience of 350 guests, including MPs from towns and cities which will benefit from improved links into King's Cross station, were treated to a three-minute light show inside the station.

The 1970s building in Euston Road which serves both arriving and departing passengers will cater only for arrivals until its demolition begins after the London Paralympic Games. The area will have been transformed into a new public open space by September 2013.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: "For rail passengers arriving from the north of England and now Europe, the King's Cross area is their first glimpse of the capital. The new ticket concourse is a wonderful addition to the station that completes the area's transformation."