King's Cross St Pancras

Live status — lines serving King's Cross St Pancras

Live departures from King's Cross St Pancras

King's Cross St Pancras is the single busiest interchange on the entire Underground network. Six Tube lines, two of London's largest mainline termini, the UK end of Eurostar, the principal interchange between the West End and the north, and — since the 2009 rebuild — one of only a handful of deep central stations where every platform is reachable by lift. If you are travelling across London, the odds are you will pass through here.

If King's Cross St Pancras is closed

• Going west or to the West End? Walk 8 minutes to Russell Square for the Piccadilly line, or take the bus down Tottenham Court Road to Tottenham Court Road (Central, Elizabeth, Northern Charing Cross branch).
• Going north? Euston is a 10-minute walk and serves the Northern (both branches) and Victoria lines, plus mainline trains to the north-west.
• Going east? Farringdon is 12 minutes south-east on foot and serves the Elizabeth, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines, plus Thameslink.
• Going south? Walk 12 minutes to Russell Square for the Piccadilly southbound, or to Euston Square for sub-surface lines.

About the station

King's Cross St Pancras is, in effect, a single underground complex serving two mainline stations that sit side by side at street level. The Tube ticket halls thread between and beneath both, with multiple exits onto Euston Road, Pancras Road and the redeveloped Granary Square to the north. The current Western Ticket Hall, opened in 2009, replaced a notoriously cramped 1960s ticket hall — a redesign forced in part by the King's Cross fire of November 1987, in which 31 people died. The lessons from that disaster reshaped fire safety across the entire London Underground.

The Tube platforms themselves are spread across three distinct levels: the sub-surface platforms (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City) sit just below street level on the original 1863 Metropolitan Railway alignment — the oldest underground railway in the world — while the deep-tube Victoria, Piccadilly and Northern line platforms are reached via long passageways and escalator banks.

Lines that serve King's Cross St Pancras

• Victoria line — fast deep-tube line to Brixton (south) or Walthamstow Central (north-east). Step-free.
• Piccadilly line — the airport line, direct to Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, 4 and 5 in the west; to Cockfosters in the north.
• Northern line — Bank branch only at King's Cross, with trains to Morden via Bank in the south and High Barnet / Mill Hill East in the north.
• Hammersmith & City line — east-west sub-surface line from Hammersmith to Barking via Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.
• Metropolitan line — the original Underground line, north-west into Buckinghamshire (Amersham, Chesham, Watford, Uxbridge).
• Circle line — the loop around central London via Paddington, Victoria, Westminster, Tower Hill and Liverpool Street.

Step-free access

King's Cross St Pancras has full step-free access from street to train on every Tube line it serves — a rare distinction in central London. Lifts connect the Northern Ticket Hall (Pancras Road) and the Western Ticket Hall (Euston Road) to every platform level. Boarding ramps are available on request. The sub-surface lines (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City) are level-boarding; the deep-tube lines (Victoria, Piccadilly, Northern) have a small step and gap from platform to train carriage, as is standard across the deep network.

See the full step-free Tube stations guide for what "step-free" actually covers and how stations vary.

Exits and what is nearby

• Western Ticket Hall (Euston Road) — main exit, closest to King's Cross mainline departures, Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard to the north.
• Northern Ticket Hall (Pancras Road) — closest to St Pancras International, Eurostar check-in, the British Library and the Francis Crick Institute.
• Pancras Road / Midland Road — closest to the Eurostar departures level and the Renaissance Hotel.
• Euston Road / York Way — closest to King's Cross suburban platforms (Great Northern / Thameslink) and the King's Boulevard.

A bit of history

The Metropolitan Railway opened on 10 January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon, with King's Cross as one of the original stations — making the platforms here the oldest underground railway platforms anywhere in the world. The Piccadilly arrived in 1906, the Northern in 1907, the Victoria in 1968 and the Thameslink in 1988. The 2007 St Pancras International rebuild and the 2009 Western Ticket Hall together transformed the complex from a grimy 1960s relic into one of Europe's best transport interchanges.

Common quirks

• Allow extra time for interchange. The walk between the Victoria line and the Metropolitan / Circle / Hammersmith & City platforms is one of the longest in the central area — easily 5–7 minutes between trains at busy times.
• The Northern line only stops on the Bank branch here. If you are heading to Charing Cross, Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road on the Northern, change at Euston instead.
• Platform 9¾ is a photo spot in the western departures concourse of the mainline station, not the Tube — the queue can be substantial in summer.
• Eurostar requires check-in 60–90 minutes before departure. Allow generously if you are transferring directly from a Tube platform — the walk from the Victoria line platforms to Eurostar check-in is 8–10 minutes including escalators.

Frequently asked questions

Which lines serve King's Cross St Pancras?

Six Underground lines: the Victoria, Piccadilly, Northern (Bank branch), Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Circle. It is also a major National Rail interchange and the London terminus for Eurostar at St Pancras International.

Is King's Cross St Pancras step-free?

Yes. It is one of the few central London stations with full step-free access from street to train on every line it serves.

What zone is King's Cross St Pancras in?

Zone 1 — for both Underground and National Rail fare purposes.

What time does King's Cross St Pancras open?

Underground services typically begin around 05:00 and run until just after midnight. Night Tube runs Friday and Saturday on the Victoria, Piccadilly and Northern lines.

Is platform 9¾ real?

It is a permanent photo installation in the western departures concourse of King's Cross mainline station — a luggage trolley half-disappearing into the wall, with an attached shop. It is not on a Tube platform.

Lines serving this station

Guides