King’s Cross station closed as Storm Babet ‘travel disruption’ wreaks …

Crowd control measures were in place tonight at King's Cross station in London after Storm Babet[1] caused travel chaos around the country.

The busy hub was closed for some hours due to overcrowding and, when it reopened, videos suggested travellers were allowed back in single file, as staff introduced safety measures.

The Met Office has had weather warnings in place over the past few days including a red "danger to life" alert with heavy rain and strong winds[2]. King's Cross had stated that the station is closed due to the number of passengers waiting for trains. On Thursday night there was also a large build up of people at King's Cross with many waiting hours due to signal failure.

People are advised to check National Rail Enquiries or their train operator before they travel today. Across England, there were over 360 flood[3] warnings this morning, while 133,000 people were left without power on Friday as a result of the storm. Major incidents were declared by both Suffolk and Derbyshire county councils, and around 400 homes in Chesterfield have been flooded, said Labour MP Toby Perkins.

Three people have died since the storm first hit the UK on Wednesday, while a search continues in Aberdeenshire following a report of a man trapped in a vehicle in floodwater. Meanwhile, officials warned that river levels will "continue to rise", and urged people to stay away from "swollen rivers".

Storm Babet LIVE: 400 homes flooded in UK town as major incidents declared and 3 killed[4]

One traveller at King's Cross wrote: "Absolute nightmare at London King Cross, manage to get on a delayed train. No clear communication and tickets weren't checked, the trains are like sardines. Kudos to @LNER Edinburg @ 11am staff onboard taking care of the situation."

Another said: "Absolute chaos at Kings 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."

King’s Cross has tweeted: “Station closed. 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 on the move. Please check via National Rail Enquiries or with your tain operator before travelling today.”

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are one of the main train operators at King's Cross and they have advised people not to travel today. It tweeted: "Severe weather is causing major disruption to services across the LNER route. Many rail routes are suspended due to flooding and an extremely limited service is in operation. Please do not travel today, Saturday 21 October."

It continued: "There are no LNER services operating north of Edinburgh towards Aberdeen or Inverness in either direction. The line between Doncaster and Leeds is blocked due to flooding. Following extensive disruption on Friday 20 October, crews and trains are displaced across the country and services today are subject to short-notice cancellation. Due to road closures, rail replacement is not available. Other train operators are also subject to disruption and alternative routes are also blocked. "

14:25Tim Hanlon

Crowd measures in place by the police at station, says National Rail

Crowd measures are currently in place by police and disruption is expected for the rest of the day at King's Cross, stated National Rail.

Passengers are advised to use a different London station where possible.

National Rail stated: "Congestion caused by Storm Babet is causing disruption to journeys to / from London Kings Cross. Trains running to / from London Kings Cross may be cancelled, delayed or revised.

"Major disruption is expected until the end of the day. Due to overcrowding at London Kings Cross the station was shut to outgoing passengers. The Police have crowd measures in place and the station is now open for Great Northern and Thameslink passengers. Services will be arriving and departing from platforms 9 and 10.

"Where possible, please use a different London terminal station."

References

  1. ^ Storm Babet (www.mirror.co.uk)
  2. ^ a red "danger to life" alert with heavy rain and strong winds (www.mirror.co.uk)
  3. ^ flood (www.mirror.co.uk)
  4. ^ Storm Babet LIVE: 400 homes flooded in UK town as major incidents declared and 3 killed (www.mirror.co.uk)

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