The first underground station at King's Cross opened as part of the original section of the Metropolitan Railway in 1863 and was rearranged in 1868 and 1926. The Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR, now part of the Piccadilly line) platforms opened with the rest of the line in December 1906, while the City & South London Railway (C&SLR, now part of the Northern line) arrived in May 1907. On 18 November 1987 the station was the scene of a devastating fire that killed 31 people. The cause was attributed to a lit match falling into, and setting fire to, an escalator machine room, combined with a then-unknown fire phenomenon of the trench effect, which caused the fire to explode into the station.
King's Cross St Pancras is the biggest interchange station on the London Underground, serving six lines on four pairs of tracks as well as two National Rail stations. The underground part of the station underwent extensive remodelling works to increase throughflow of passengers resulting from the opening of High Speed 1. The expanded station now has four entrances, and was completed in November 2009. The stations along the central part of the Piccadilly line, as well as some sections of the Northern line, were financed by Charles Yerkes, and are famous for the Leslie Green designed red station buildings and distinctive platform tiling. Each station had its own unique tile pattern and colours. This is the closest stop for the RNIB. Should you require assistance to get to the RNIB please ask one of the helpful TfL staff who are happy to help.
Connections: Two National Rail (Kings Cross and St Pancras); Hammersmith & City/Circle/Metropolitan, Picadilly and Victoria lines. London Buses routes 10, 17, 30, 45, 46, 59, 63, 73, 91, 205, 214, 259, 390 and 476 and night routes N63, N73, N91 and N205 serve the station.
