By this point it’s basically a London rite of passage: sprinting across Euston station’s concourse because your platform appeared on the departure board mere minutes before your train was due to leave. But now we have good news: things at one of the city’s major travel hubs are set to get a little less chaotic.
The government has announced a £50 million package of upgrades for London Euston, to be delivered over the next three years. The first £11 million will go towards more seating, improved waiting areas and refurbished toilets.
And while that sounds like the best part of a whole new station is on the way, this is mostly about improving the existing Euston while the much bigger HS2 and regeneration plans continue to take shape.
So what are the changes?
Let’s start with the bit that causes the most Euston-related panic: the platforms. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that the station’s much-maligned habit of revealing platforms at the last minute will be phased out within the next year.
At the moment, passengers can spend ages waiting in the main concourse with no idea where their train will depart from, only for a platform number to suddenly flash up on the board. Cue hundreds of people charging towards the same ticket barriers.
Euston has already been experimenting with different boarding arrangements, including earlier boarding on Avanti West Coast services and continuous boarding on London Northwestern Railway trains.
Some improvements to Euston’s concourse are already underway. Network Rail has refurbished the Assisted Travel Lounge, making it larger and adding more seating, screens and technology. There’s also a new customer information hub at the back of the concourse, which makes it easier to get help by putting all staff in one place.
The new government funding earmarks £11 million for seating, waiting areas and toilets.
Departure boards
Euston’s enormous main departure board is staying put. Network Rail says passenger feedback led to the decision to keep it, while smaller information screens in the middle of the concourse have been removed. The aim is to free up space and make the main board easier to see. The screens on the station piazza are staying, too.
What about HS2?
This £50 million investment is separate from the much larger HS2 and Euston regeneration plans. The Euston Masterplan covers a 60-acre site and includes a new high-speed rail terminal, a redeveloped mainline station, a major tube station upgrade, plus new homes, shops, workspaces and public areas.
So, no, Euston isn’t about to become a gleaming new mega-station overnight. But it should gradually become a more comfortable place to wait for a train, and, crucially, a place where you have a little more warning before it's time to run for your platform.
And what about Avanti West Coast?
The announcement also coincides with news of a change of ownership for Avanti West Coast, which runs the majority of long-distance services from Euston. The operator is due to be brought into public ownership on March 7 2027, when its current contract ends.
If you want the full rundown of when other major UK rail operators are due to be nationalised, we’ve got the full list here.
Euston Station upgrades at a glance
- £50m will be spent upgrading Euston over three years
- £11m will initially go towards seating, waiting areas and toilets
- Last-minute platform announcements will be phased out within a year
- The Assisted Travel Lounge has been refurbished
- A new customer information hub has opened
- Smaller concourse screens have been removed, while the main departure board stays
- Avanti West Coast will enter public ownership in March 2027
- The wider HS2 and Euston regeneration plans are separate from this £50m package
In other transport news: A London airport lounge is officially one of the 10 best in the world.
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