The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) hasl been renamed 'High Speed 1'

London & Continental Railways (LCR), builders of High Speed 1 – the UK’s first high speed rail link – announced on 14 November 2006 that St Pancras International will open on 14 November 2007.

St Pancras International will become the new central London station for Eurostar following the company’s move from Waterloo and is also the terminus for Midland Mainline services, Thameslink as well as London Underground, and
from 2009 high speed Kent commuter services using High Speed 1.

Originally built in 1868 by eminent railway engineer, Sir William Barlow, St Pancras International is being painstakingly restored with the intention of becoming the finest station in Europe. It will set new standards in terms of customer service and establish a new model for what a railway station should be. St Pancras International will have more staff per customer, welcome teams and more information more easily accessed. Signage and wayfinding are also central to the station experience so that customers can move around the station easily. LCR has undertaken unprecedented levels of research and drawn inspiration from best practice examples around the world, including Amsterdam's Schipol airport and the highly successful Grand Central Station, New York.

Project director, Mike Luddy said: “The restoration of St Pancras is a truly historic project. We are redefining how a station operates. A unique retail mix with new levels of customer service will combine in this most magnificent of settings. St Pancras International will be the place to meet in London.”

From 2007, LCR estimates that 44 million people will pass through the station. There is 82,000 square feet of retail space available, with sites ranging from a 10,000 sq ft brasserie to 25 sq ft boutiques. The retail offering at the station is divided into five distinct zones:

* Rendezvous St Pancras: The longest champagne bar in Europe, a world class brasserie, a high quality gastro pub, bars, live music and entertainment

* St Pancras Market: High quality daily fresh farmers’ food market

* Concourse St Pancras: Commuter-driven high street retail outlets

* Arcade St Pancras: Independent boutique shops

* Sortie St Pancras: Primary retail units and tax-free offers

Among the partners already confirmed at St Pancras International are: M&S: Putting food and clothes together again for the first time at any railway station, Boots: Putting its fragrance range back on top, in a brand new concept store
Geronimo Inns: Simply the best name in gastro pubs.

Luddy continued: “On the 14 November 2007, Eurostar will start using the station for the first time following the company’s move from Waterloo. What those customers and millions of other experience will be the result of groundbreaking research and daring creativity. St Pancras International will be Europe’s ‘Destination Station’ and when the first person says ‘meet me at St Pancras’, without any intention of getting on a train, we’ll know we’ve been successful.”