Monday 19 March saw the biggest transformation in the 160 year history of King’s Cross station, with the opening to the public of the spectacular new western concourse. The newly installed media space has now gone live, providing passengers and advertisers with state-of-art digital poster sites designed into the fabric of the station.
The shell-shaped glass and steel building will provide three times the space of the current station concourse with better facilities, more shops and restaurants and new links to St Pancras station and the tube.
JCDecaux has worked in partnership with Network Rail, English Heritage and the station architects to plan in media space that is sympathetic to the station’s heritage yet delivers advertising space for 21st century audiences.
Steven Wood, Advertising Manager, Network Rail said, “Network Rail’s partnership with JCDecaux has delivered the first stage of the advertising enhancement at London King’s Cross, which I am confident will be a great success. This will generate an improved revenue stream for us to invest straight back into the railway for the benefit of our customers."
Jeremy Male, CEO of JCDecaux UK & Northern Europe said, “JCDecaux has worked closely with the architects at King’s Cross to create outstanding media space that will enhance the passenger experience and provide engaging new opportunities for brands. We have taken a ‘less is more’ approach to create outdoor advertising that is sympathetic to the station’s heritage and that deploys the very latest in digital technology. With rail audiences at their highest ever, passengers and advertisers are set to benefit as stations such as King’s Cross are transformed into retail and travel hubs.”
The digital media space in the Western Concourse comprises: two state-of-the-art HD Transvision screens positioned either side of the departure boards that will run concurrent creative and 4 digital 6-sheets. It will eventually also include 20 digital escalator panels reaching audiences travelling between the tube and the station concourse. There are a further 5 wall-mounted static 6-sheets.
King’s Cross is the first station to benefit from recessed digital 6-sheets, with two poster sites designed to fit seamlessly into the fabric of the building. A further two 6-sheets will be free-standing in the centre of concourse with the reverse side providing wayfinding information for passengers.
Network Rail will be among the launch advertisers on the new digital portfolio at King’s Cross running a branding campaign to keep passengers informed about the changes at the station.
More than 45 million passengers a year, travelling through London and to and from destinations as far afield as Newcastle, Edinburgh and York will benefit from the improvements to the station. The £550m scheme marks the completion of yet another key transport upgrade for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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