East Coast was joined by former Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards at an event to mark the opening of its new First Class Lounge at London King’s Cross station.

The lounge has been opened to the public (Monday, 19 March 2012) to coincide with the launch of the new Western Concourse at the station - a stunning glass and steel roof structure, which complements the Grade-1 listed station’s heritage, whilst creating a space for passengers that is three-times larger than the current concourse.

East Coast’s opening event gave key stakeholders along the East Coast Main Line a sneak preview of the new First Class facilities available to East Coast customers travelling to and from London.

Karen Boswell, Managing Director of East Coast, said: “It was great to welcome so many guests from a diverse mix of stakeholder groups to showcase the superb new facilities ahead of its official opening.

“We now have a truly First Class lounge with easy access to the platforms and the fantastic new Western Concourse. I’m proud to say this new area is now second to none of its kind between all other London rail hubs. With 66% of our customers’ journeys starting or finishing at King’s Cross the lounge is sure to be appreciated by a huge volume of passengers.”

Accessed from the new Western Concourse, the lounge is a contemporary area boasting modern facilities for customers and has been sympathetically designed to complement the re-development work being undertaken at King’s Cross. Including free Wi-Fi and complimentary refreshments, it is a further addition to the East Coast First Class product.

Jonathan Edwards said: “I was delighted to be given the chance to take in the vibrant atmosphere of East Coast’s new First Class Lounge ahead of its official opening. It has a really modern feel to it and I’m sure it will be well received by everyone using it.”

Finished in a striking range of lime green and aubergine decor, the lounge took 12 months to create. It features displays showcasing a range of artefacts loaned by the National Railway Museum, while pieces of artwork depicting the station’s heritage, by artist Anne Howeson, adorn the walls.