London Euston station is “no longer in a fit condition” and marble on its columns “would fall off” if not for the bands around them, rail minister Lord Hendy has claimed.
The former Network Rail chair and transport executive also said that the station’s concourse is “too small” and that the last signage installed “turned out not to be [the right job]”.
“The station itself was very modern in 1968 – it is no longer very modern,” Hendy said during a House of Lords session on rail performance last week. He was responding to a question from a Labour peer about plans to make “the business of using Euston a more pleasurable experience for passengers”.
Hendy added: “If you look closely at the columns in the station, there are bands around the marble because it would fall off without them. The station is no longer in a fit condition.”
A 100-day plan
Hendy said a “100-day plan of rapid improvements” for the station will load trains at least 20 minutes before departure to decongest the concourse. Additionally, a bookshop will be removed to create more space.
“I recall that we got criticism for removing Boots, but too many shops and not enough concourse space is the wrong answer,” Hendy said. “There will also be some further improvements to signage and visibility.
“I would like to take some modest credit for having reincluded the concourse at Euston in the overall plan for the redevelopment of Euston and, now that the tunnels for HS2 will go there, I am very hopeful that all parts of the station will be fit for passenger usage in the future.”
Euston opened in 1837 and was redeveloped in the 1960s. It is the tenth-busiest station in Britain and the country’s busiest inter-city passenger terminal, as the gateway from the capital to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland.
The station is managed by Network Rail.
In her autumn budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that HS2 trains will run to Euston station after committing funding for the tunnelling works.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Euston was designed for a different era and we acknowledge that it is in need of major investment and modernisation. In the meantime, we can assure passengers that safety is at the heart of our operation.
“Our engineers regularly inspect London Euston to make sure the station is safe for passengers and staff. These inspections include the metal straps which were installed some years ago on the station’s external columns; to keep the original 1960’s decorative marble cladding secure."
