Paramedics treated 14 rail passengers and took two to hospital as hundreds were evacuated from one of the UK’s busiest stations following a suspected gas leak.
Armed police and other emergency services were called to Farringdon in central London at 9.40am this morning after a some passengers reported feeling unwell.
Detectives responded alongside London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade, after reports of a ‘smell of chemicals on an Elizabeth Line platform’.
Farringdon was shut for more than two hours with no trains stopping and major disruption until at least 5pm while the emergency services dealt with the incident.
Transport for London (TfL) said the Elizabeth line was suspended from Paddington to Abbey Wood, with severe delays between Paddington, Reading and Heathrow.
One TfL worker at the scene told the Daily Mail: ‘I believe there’s been a chemical or gas leak on the Elizabeth line. It’s made three people faint but the Tube should be going back to normal now. But the Thameslink and Elizabeth line are still closed.
‘I’m hoping they’re fine, there were paramedics. I think they’ve been taken off to hospital by now. There was an ambulance here. I think a woman and her child fainted. People started to smell it and started coughing and then the others passed out.’
Farringdon, Britain’s eighth busiest station, is a key intersection in central London where the Elizabeth line, three Underground lines and Thameslink trains connect.
Police officers and paramedics at Farringdon station today following the suspected gas leak
Members of the public stand by the police cordon outside Farringdon station in London today
Armed offices from the Metropolitan Police at the scene outside Farringdon station today
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Firefighters and police officers respond to the suspected gas leak at Farringdon station today
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Members of the public on the streets around outside Farringdon station in London this morning
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Paramedics on the streets of Farringdon today as the London Ambulance Service responds
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Police officers on the scene at Farringdon station today following the suspected gas leak
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Thameslink confirmed no trains will run between London St Pancras International and Blackfriars, which are located north and south of Farringdon, ‘until further notice’.
Ticket acceptance was organised with other operators, while the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines were all running non-stop through Farringdon.
A British Transport Police spokesman said: ‘Officers were called to Farringdon station at 9.42am today following reports of a suspected gas leak in the station, with a small number of passengers reporting feeling unwell.
‘Officers are in attendance, alongside the ambulance service and the fire brigade, and the station has been evacuated while enquiries are conducted.’
The force also said armed police attended the scene as part of the response by the emergency services, which is ‘typical during a significant incident and should not cause undue concern to the public in this case’.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: ‘Firefighters were called to a report of a smell of chemicals on an Elizabeth line platform at Farringdon station.
‘Crews attended and carried out a sweep of the area to check for no elevated readings of any chemical substances. No elevated readings were detected.
‘Fourteen people were treated at the scene with two of those people taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service as a precaution.
‘The brigade was called at 9.41am and control officers mobilised two fire engines, two fire rescue units and specialist officers to the scene. The scene was declared safe by 11.35am.’
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Firefighters and police officers respond to the suspected gas leak at Farringdon station today
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Armed offices from the Metropolitan Police at the scene outside Farringdon station today
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Members of the public stand by the police cordon outside Farringdon station in London today
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Police officers on the scene at Farringdon station today following the suspected gas leak
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Empty platforms at Farringdon station today after it was closed following a suspected gas leak
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Members of the public on the streets around outside Farringdon station in London this morning
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
Empty platforms at Farringdon station today after it was closed following a suspected gas leak
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
The empty street within the police cordon this morning outside Farringdon station in London
Emergency services on the scene at Farringdon station today after a suspected gas leak
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.40am today to reports of an incident at the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road, EC1M.
‘We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, incident response officers, paramedics in fast response cars, clinical team managers and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.
‘We treated 14 patients in total. We took two people to hospital and discharged the others at the scene.’
And a TfL spokesperson said: ‘The Elizabeth line was suspended between Paddington and Abbey Wood to allow the emergency services to investigate a suspected gas leak at Farringdon station.’
National Rail urged passengers to ‘please check before you travel’ after services were ‘heavily impacted’ by the closure and will take ‘some time’ to recover.
The last gas leak impacting a London railway station was eight years ago when Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations were both shut in January 2018.
Some 1,450 people were evacuated and engineers located the gas escape at the junction of Craven Street with Corner House Street before making repairs.
