Finsbury Park was “entirely unsuitable” as King’s Cross replacement, admits transport boss. No kidding
A transport boss has gone on the record to admit that Network Rail's decision to use Finsbury Park station as a replacement for King's Cross while the latter was out of action over Christmas, thus causing abject misery for thousands of travellers, was "entirely unsuitable".
Robin Gisby, Network Rail's managing director of network operations, appeared before the House of Commons Transport Committee yesterday and said that, er, yes – "Finsbury Park was entirely unsuitable compared with King's Cross".
No kidding. The decision to run many services heading to the north of England from Finsbury Park instead of King's Cross on 27 December led to chaos in N4, as miserable travellers formed lengthy queues outside the station, while others got stuck in the crows that formed in the narrow passages leading into the station.
So, just in case Network Rail considers pulling a stunt like that again, here are some reasons why Finsbury Park was a terrible replacement for King's Cross:
1. It's, like, half the size
(Source: Google Earth)
On the left, Finsbury Park. On the right, King's Cross. Finsbury Park's eight platforms serve destinations as far-flung as Peterborough, Welwyn Garden City and Hertford. Trains leaving the 11 platforms – 14, if you count platforms 9b, 10b and 11b – King's Cross go to Leeds, York and Edinburgh.