York Road tube is a lovely example of a Leslie Green designed Picadilly Line station. That line suffered from a surfeit of stations and York Road was closed in 1932. The station survives at The junction of York Way and Bingfield Street/Randells Road. There has been much interest in reopening the station when Kings Cross is redeveloped. It would provide better access to transport for people on Maiden Lane and the Bemerton areas and could help ease congestion in Kings Cross/St Pancras.
The excellent, easy to use Freedom of Information Site – www.whatdotheyknow.com – has helped me get hold of the feasibilty study carried out for TfL by Halcrow Group Ltd. The basic cost is £13million to bring the station up to modern standards and put it back to use. I haven’t had time to study it in detail but the report provides handy facts in the long running campaign to get this station reopened. We need to look at and think about challenging the critical assumptions in the report:
‘Considerable uncertainties exist in the forecasts of future patronage from the redeveloped catchments area, and the extent of additional surface public transport links that would be provided to serve the ‘Kings Cross Lands’ development.
‘The central case passenger demand forecasts indicate that around 9,200 passengers would use York Road Station during the morning peak.
‘An assessment of the impact of re-opening York Road Station on the level of crowding at King’s Cross St Pancras indicates it will provide little in the way of congestion relief.
‘Overall, the scheme performs poorly in economic terms with a negative net present value to society of -£34.1 million and a benefit to cost ratio of merely 0.03:1.’
Views would be very welcome in the comments.
A copy of Volume 1 – the technical engineering bits of the feasibility study is here – beware large file Download technical_prefeasibility_report_revised_april.pdf Volume 1 has some rare photos from inside the station. Here also is volume two, the business case another large file Download york_road_business_case_report__final__2sided.pdf
I also have the annexes – please drop me a mail for a copy – but i have put the Annex with some original drawings up here.
Kings Cross Environment 
Interesting read.
The number I pull out from the report is 21.5m capital costs (which incidentally doesn’t include the capital costs of track work including a “suicide pit”, is there not a more technical name that could be used!?).
I am surprised this is so low actually, not that I have any idea how much stations cost to refurbish of course!
Bout time this station was reopened. There simply is not a surfeit of stations in this area. The distance between Kings X and Cally Road is vast (by metro line standards). This station should reopen forthwith.
Yes a great read, I work just down the road and walk past the station at lunchtimes. I too am supprised at the cost why are the new users of the Kings Cross lands not paying a contribtion to have this station open when they move in. It just seems a no brainer in terms of contruction cost. There will of couse be the operating cost which could be £2m a year or so.
with the relocation of Central St Martins and all the other colleges of the London Institue to the north end of Kings Cross, there will be thousands of extra commuters a day using the station.
the Picadilly platform is already frequently closed during rush hour. anything that will alleviate this even just a little, is welcome
I hope that York Station can be reopened. This is going to be become a busy and vibrant area. The bus service is limited and usually subject to delays around Kings Cross.
Given how this area is now changing, bringing in even more people the need for this station to be reopened increases with each passing month. When the feasability study was done 4 years ago or more it was not quite so apparent how the area would change. The distance between Kings Cross and the Caledonian Road stop is too great
The gap between King’s Cross St Pancras & Caledonian Road is massive by Piccadilly line standards plus travelators to Caledonian Road & Barnsbury would be a good idea as it would mean you wouldn’t have to walk down Caledonian road
This staton being reopened is long overdue. I have lived in this area for all my 48 years and can assure the doubters that this will be massively elcomed by all who live and visit this part of King’s Cross. The 390 bus which uses York Way and alights at the stop opposite Randells Road is always busy, so this proves that there is demand. Is it awlays about financial gain? The net gain is that this will encourage development and regeneration which will filter down and this scheme will surely generate its own income in the long run.