Below it, half a baggage trolley juts out of the wall. In fact an enamel plate bearing the legend ‘Platform 9¾’ is clearly visible on a brick wall. ‘I’ve fallen in a big way for the geometric roof structure of the concourse.’ King’s Cross – the name awakens memories of the books and films starring the world’s most famous student wizard. ‘I love the architecture of this building,’ this gentleman confesses to us after a reserved but friendly greeting. Our rendez-vous is immediately opposite, at the legendary King’s Cross station. Probably the most famous railway platform in Londonĭavid Stanborough has not arranged to meet us here. Pancras, amid squeals of protest from the brakes. At one minute to nine, the hundreds of tons of steel come to a halt at London St. The Eurostar takes just twenty-one minutes to transit the fifty kilometres of tunnel that link France to England. On the dot at fourteen minutes to seven, the steel colossus pulls out of the station and glides almost noiselessly through the countryside with the speed of an arrow. Reverently, we clamber aboard the streamlined, high-speed train and sink into the upholstery which once yielded to James Bond. It would be easy to imagine oneself in the shoes of a figure from a National Geographic travel report or a character from an Agatha Christie detective story. ![]() Dark-coloured marine decking lends an air of classic, high-quality elegance. ![]() After security checks worthy of an airport, an alien world opens before our eyes. A broad stairway leads to the separate Eurostar terminal. ![]() So to set foot on the island by any other means would seem a shabby compromise. This year, a pioneering construction project celebrates its 25th birthday: the Channel Tunnel.
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