Chaos at King’s Cross as police close station due to overcrowding
Police have closed down King's Cross Station due to overcrowding, as rail bosses have begged passengers to use different terminals amidst the chaos of Storm Babet.
Stranded passengers have shared videos on X, formerly known as Twitter[3], of gargantuan crowds forming inside the station, amidst claims that people were being 'crushed' on the concourse of the huge terminal.
Images on social media showed crowds amassing outside the main entrance to the station on Euston Road in central London.
One man said he managed to hop onto a train but there was 'no communication,' and said 'the trains are like sardines.'
Another passenger wrote: 'Absolute chaos at King's Cross this morning apparently they’ve never heard of crowd control and think it’s okay for people (including children and elderly to be crushed) no communication no nothing.'
Densely packed crowds inside Kings Cross as police temporarily closed the station on Saturday
A view on the ground of the disruption. A number of the services on the departure board are listed as 'cancelled'
King's Cross has been closed amidst overcrowding - prompting Network Rail bosses to ask passengers to use other stations
The crowds spilled out onto the square outside King's Cross on London's Euston Road
Huge crowds could be seen massing around the ticket barriers leading to the station platforms
The King's Cross X account shared this post from LNER, which begged passengers not to turn up for services. Its entire network map was coloured black, meaning 'do not travel'
A third, exasperated passenger added: 'Absolute chaos at King's Cross today, no organisation whatsoever and people almost getting crushed, very frightening at one point. Where were the managers? Left the poor rail staff to try and manage.'
Major train operators had warned passengers not to travel before checking if their services were running - as transport services were thrown into chaos by Storm Babet, with crews in the wrong places for services and rainlines flooded by torrential downpours.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Avanti West Coast and Northern Rail all warned against travelling as lines are widely flooded.
Northern Rail said all lines between Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow are blocked due to damage to the overhead electric wires.
Services are also not able to run from Sheffield to Nottingham or Lincoln due to flooding, while trains are also unable to travel between Leeds and Doncaster, Harrogate and Bradford.
The line between Newcastle and Morpeth is also closed due to viaduct damage, Northern Rail added.
Avanti West Coast has said its services are also severely disrupted and it has asked customers to not travel between Crewe and North Wales and that people should only travel between Preston and Glasgow or Edinburgh if absolutely necessary.
A spokesperson for Network Rail[4] told MailOnline: 'While many of the country’s rail services are running well today, we’re sorry to say that there is still severe disruption in areas worst-hit by Storm Babet, including Scotland, the North East and East Midlands.
'In particular, King’s Cross station has crowd-control measures in place this afternoon while LNER services to the North East are severely disrupted. We are asking people to check before they travel today, to avoid wasted journeys.'
On the King's Cross account, a statement read: 'King's Cross Station is currently closed to manage passenger numbers on the concourse and on platforms.
'Storm Babet has brought severe disruption to the rail network and our teams are working hard to get passengers safely on the move.
'Please check via National Rail Enquiries with your train operator before travelling today.'
In statement on X, National Rail wrote: 'London[5] King's Cross has become too crowded to be safe for all passengers.
'The Police have taken the decision to close the station until the passenger flow is more manageable. Where possible, please use a different London terminal station.'
Station bosses, after discussions with railway operators, made the decision to begin opening a limited number of platforms later on Saturday afternoon.
Great Northern and Thameslink services are operating from platforms 9 and 10, but railway bosses are still advising passengers to travel from another station where possible.
A National Rail Enquiries statement read: 'London Kings Cross had become too crowded to be safe for all passengers. The Police had taken the decision to close the station until the passenger flow is more manageable.
'The station has now reopened, with the station staff monitoring crowd control to ensure the safety of everyone travelling. Where possible, please use a different London terminal station.'
Alongside chaos caused by Storm Babet, a large pro-Palestinian protest[6] was organised in central London today.
References
- ^ Gina Kalsi (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Jon Brady (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Twitter (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Network Rail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ London (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ pro-Palestinian protest (www.dailymail.co.uk)