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My train to London Kings Cross has just been cancelled, so instead of having plenty of time to make a connection to Euston, I'm going to have a mad dash...

To get from Kings Cross to Euston I have a number of options, but given that my train ticket includes an Underground journey, I'm thinking that either walking (fast!) or tube would be my best bet. Given the tight connection, I'm after the fastest way to do it. What would that be?

Based on this 3D model of Kings Cross / St Pancras underground station, I see that none of the underground lines are that close to the Northern Ticket hall where my later train will come into. At the Euston end, I know that Euston Square station is quite a fair way from Euston station itself, which the Victoria or Northern Lines are quite deep so there'd be walking + escalators to get up to the surface (plus the long walk+escalator at the KX end to get to them). Walking wise, not sure which is the quickest way to go, but I suspect it wouldn't necessarily be the "obvious" one along Euston Road.

So, which is the quickest way - tube (if so which) or fast walk (if so which way)?

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    Getting on the tube will be a waste of time. – DumbCoder Mar 28 '14 at 17:01
  • I vote for walking as well. You may have to wait 1-2 minutes for the train and you'll have to wait in line to get through the gates to enter into and exit the tube stations, etc. If you walk any route other than the obvious one, however, you risk getting lost. I mean, if you don't get lost, it might be faster, but if you miss the turn and it takes you x minutes to realize it and you have to turn back and all that jazz... I'd just stick with the main route - the simple route. – neubert Mar 28 '14 at 18:14
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I also vote for walking. You can save a little bit of time by being in the right part of the train, and then by avoiding a couple of annoyingly slow pedestrian crossings:

  • Travel in the frontmost carriage if you can; that'll put you closest to the ticket barriers at Kings Cross. Get up and go to the doors as the train approaches the station. You want to get ahead of the crowd (you don't want to get stuck in a massive queue for the ticket gates when you're in a rush).
  • When you get to Kings Cross, go to the Departures Concourse, head for platforms 9-11, and go out of the doors you'll find right by them.
  • Cross Pancras Road outside there (there's a crossing to the right, past the taxi rank). You'll get across much faster at that part of the road than at the end where it meets Euston Road.
  • Enter St Pancras through the big glass doors and walk straight through, taking a path parallel to Euston Road.
  • You'll come out on Midland Road. Cross that straight away too. Now turn left and head towards Euston Road.
  • The British Library's on your right as you approach Euston Road, and you can cut through its courtyard if you like; it won't save you much time but it's pretty and uncrowded.
  • Stick to Euston Road for the rest of the journey.
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    Obviously if you arrive at Platforms 9-11 to begin with, then just go straight out of the doors on the right after the ticket barriers. – Ganesh Sittampalam Mar 29 '14 at 14:09
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    Not certain the extra distance via STP is necessarily worth it if you come into plats 0--4 where you can cut straight out to Euston Rd but +1 for using the off-road environment to your advantage. – Smalltown2k Mar 29 '14 at 16:48
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    That's fair, Smalltown2k - it's a toss-up from the furthest platforms, especially if the station's busy; I've been wondering since I posted it whether I should have qualified the answer. There's also the option of using the Underground station's pedestrian subways to avoid wasting time waiting at the crossing, but that's probably not such a good idea if you're not familiar with the layout - plenty of scope for disorientation underground. (And thanks, dlanod!) – alg Mar 29 '14 at 17:51
  • I travelled through King's Cross earlier this year and the departures concourse has been heavily remodelled recently. I can't say for certain, but it's possible that point 2 is no longer up to date. – Peter Taylor Nov 3 '18 at 7:16
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Don't use the tube. If you need to use public transport, there are buses which should be quicker than the tube, but I would recommend walking unless you have a mobility problem or a lot of luggage.

There is an alternative route by going through St Pancras Station, out via the Midland Road exit and turn right to go along Brill Place/ Phoenix Road (alongside the Francis Crick Institute) and then left along Eversholt Street. It's slightly farther, but it's quieter. Euston Road's pavement (sidewalk) is quite narrow and is often busy. You can get slowed down by other pedestrians along there, particularly if you're trying to rush. Brill Place is quiet enough that you can just walk along the roadway if someone blocks the pavement.

There is a true shortcut by going between the British Library and the Francis Crick Institute and then along Doric Way, but as of 2016, this ran into a locked gate. However, it was reopened on 21 June 2017 as "Dangoor Walk". It's not an obvious route, and mapping apps will generally not offer it to you as an option, but I've manipulated Google Maps into showing it: map of best walking route between Euston and St Pancras

Note that Churchway is literally an alley and the path between Chalton Street and Ossulston Street on this route passes between the backs of people's houses. Last time I did this route (in summer), I literally walked underneath people's washing lines.

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Walk it! I studied at UCL (just over the road from Euston) and lived near Kings Cross. As long as there are no mobility issues, there's no way I would recommend using public transport between the two stations. You'll walk past the British Library, too, which is worth seeing.

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You'll end up walking almost as far underground, down escalators, corridors, along platforms at Kings X, then the same coming out at Euston as you would walking above ground, and without the need to wait for a tube train :) Walk straight along Euston road. It will take you 5 minutes max.

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If you walk fast then I would definitely say that walk will be faster. Just follow the main road (Euston Road) just like Google Maps suggests, I don't think there are any reasonable shortcuts. I didn't really time this, but I would expect about 10-12 mins from platform to platform.

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Just adding an up to date comment that the route given by Richard Gadsden (copied below) definitely works as I just walked it in less than 10 minutes with a suitcase at a good pace. Definitely the fastest between these two stations ever! Especially amazing if going to/coming from KGX Platforms 9-11.

Kings Cross to Euston

Note that crossing between Chalton and Ossulston St requires cutting through a courtyard which is gated at both ends so there will be times of day this is closed. Just go down to the next street to cross.

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I just came back from Euston station last night and walked from there to St Pancras. I decided to try the shortcut above and the map above is totally correct and works fine. However, even though I saw that the gate was open between Charlton & Ossulston streets, I thought it might be best not to go through it. So I carried on down Charlton and walked along Phoenix Road, with the Francis Crick building on my right and at the end came right out at St Pancras. This is much much faster than going all the way down to Midland Road and then walking along Euston Road, which is always super busy and you have to fight the huge crowds on the pavement with your suitcase behind you. A pain, so I will always use the shortcut in future.

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I concur with the walking routes through St Pancras and then using the back streets, far quicker and less frustrating. However, consider taking a bus if going from Euston to Kings Cross early in the morning or late in the evening when the traffic is free flowing - don't bother if going Kings Cross to Euston as crossing the Euston Road at the Kings Cross end is generally time consuming and you still have 100 yards to go to the Westbound bus stop.

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    When you say "early in the morning or late in the evening", how early/late do you mean? Are the buses frequent enough at those times that it's going to be faster than walking? – David Richerby Jul 8 at 11:32

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