A £2.3 million upgrade to King’s Cross station toilets has just been completed, making them much more pleasant to use for station users.
The upgrade means the toilets now have improved accessibility for those with additional access needs, such as wheelchair users and partially sighted travellers. This has been achieved through widening corridors and removing partition walls. Network Rail has also changed the layout of the baby changing facilities, making them much easier to use.
All of the soap dispensers, hand dryers and taps are now touch free, which will help passengers to travel safely and with confidence during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
In addition, the new facilities use 70 per cent less energy than the previous ones, which has been achieved through installing LED lighting. The new taps and water system are much more efficient than the old ones and have enabled a 40% reduction in water usage. Finally, instead of installing new floor tiles, the previous tiles have been reused, helping to reduce the environmental impact of the refurbishment.
The new toilets are also easier to maintain and clean which means that any issues can be resolved more quickly, reducing the amount of time when toilets or equipment are out of action, reducing disruption and inconvenience for passengers.
The work on the toilets was carried out in stages to make sure that passengers and station users always had facilities available for use.
Paul Rutter, route managing director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “We know from feedback received from our passengers just how important toilet facilities are to their journeys, so we’re happy that this upgrade is now complete.
“The refurbished toilets look and feel more pleasant, and we’ve made significant changes to make them easier for everyone to use.”
Network Rail is also carrying out work to improve the Changing Places facility at King’s Cross station, with this work ongoing.
