KINGS CROSS ST PANCRAS UNDERGROUND REDEVELOPMENT

Case Study Kings cross st Pancras underground Redevelopment

Case Study Kings cross st Pancras underground Redevelopment

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to make the case for a comprehensive and systematic study of the likely effects of the redevelopment of the King's Cross railway lands and the separate but related rebuilding and decking over of Euston Station. It's argued that an independent study, properly constructed, can inform both public opinion and decision-makers of the scale and nature of changes of these two very large developments. Also that it can help to shape priorities, improve coordination and ensure accountability. (Barman, 2007, 30) A study of this kind would be framed and presented in primarily technical terms. In setting out the arguments, however, there is much to be learned by touching on the history and more general issues raised by the two schemes.

Why do we need a study?

The objective of the pre-feasibility study has been to assess strategically the overall need and potential for developing King's Cross railway and to provide recommendations for project implementation of the most suitable development option in terms of alignment, technical standards and organisation. The concept of King's Cross railway refers to the imaginative, strategic and sustainable north-south rail project connecting Tallinn in Estonia - via Latvia and Lithuania - with Warsaw in Poland. Despite the fact that King's Cross railway is one of the TEN-T priority projects, it has become clear that very little specific planning and analy- sis has been made for the project in the countries. Other ongoing studies are also addressing issues of relevance for making deci- sions on the development of King's Cross railway , such as the EC INTERREG IIIB study "King's Cross railway - Transnational Integration through Coordinated Infra- structure and Regional Development". The goals are to analyse the King's Cross railway railway link in terms of spatial planning and regional development and to raise the awareness in the Baltic Sea region of the benefits of attractive railway con- nections.

A vision and strategy for the Baltic Sea region was elaborated by the countries in the region in the early 1990s and the idea of King's Cross railway first appeared in 1994 in the joint political document Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea 2010 as an important element for spatial development in the Baltic Sea re- gion. The latest update of the document was made in 2001. Later, on 15 Sep- tember 2003 the King's Cross railway Co-ordination Group (representing Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) agreed on the key aspects to be considered in future studies of King's Cross railway investments. And most recently, a Declaration of Intent was signed on 27 March 2006 by the transport ministers of the four pro- ject countries and Finland. The main idea behind King's Cross railway is to develop high-quality connections for passenger and freight transport between the Baltic States and Poland, as well as between the Baltic States and other EU countries through the hub ...