London King’s Cross Station Evacuated: Great Northern announced on social media that all lines originating from London’s Cross Station were shut down following the evacuation this afternoon. Due to an “emergency” that halted all lines, a major train station was evacuated this evening.
A fire alarm was set off today at King’s Cross Station, causing commuters to be evacuated. According to the networks, “all lines” from the central London station were affected.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Great Northern stated: “London King’s Cross has been evacuated following a fire alarm. Due to this, all lines from the station are currently blocked.”
Publicly available images and video have been shared from the situation, which shows the normally busy station ground coming to a complete stop. At first, they were told there was an unidentified “emergency” that was forcing “thousands” to wait outside.
A would-be traveller, Stephen Hill, posted a video of the empty station with guards standing close by and pointing people outside.
Transport officials use the code word “Inspector Sands” to discreetly notify employees of a possible fire without forcing them to leave the station.
Another commuter also mentioned that they saw “normal staff and firefighters” moving “calmly” about the station after they were evacuated.
Since then, Great Northern has confirmed that the station is currently open again. The network stated that it was “working on recovering the service” before issuing a 20-minute delay or change warning.
A spokesperson urged: “Some train services will be altered and/or delayed by up to 20 minutes, so please check your journey before you travel “.
In its statement, Network Rail East Coast said that the evacuation was “a precaution and had only been in place for a brief period” following reports of smoke emanating from a retail unit in the King’s Cross complex.
A network spokesperson said: “King’s Cross was evacuated as a precaution earlier thisevening for a brief period due to reports of smoke linked to a retail unit. The station is now reopened for passengers. Thank you to @londonfore for their quick response.
The Great Northern representative also mentioned that customers will be able to use their tickets on other Thameslink and Great Northern trains for “no additional cost” and that those travelling tonight evening might wish to think about catching an alternate train from nearby London St Pancras.
“It may be faster to travel via an alternative train from London St Pancras, which is a 5-minutes walk from London King’s Cross. You can use your ticket at no additional cost on alternative Thameslink and Great Northern services via any reasonable route towards your destination.