London King’s Cross station evacuated with ‘all lines blocked’

London’s King’s Cross station has been evacuated following a fire alarm.

Commuters were initially told there had been an ’emergency’ at the station, one of the capital’s busiest.

Photographs showed dozens of commuters outside, where an LED sign by the entrance read: ‘Emergency. Do not enter.’

As passengers left their platforms, the ‘Inspector Sands’ announcement was being played.

The phrase is a cordwood used by transport officials to alert station staff of a fire.

Great Northern said on X that at about 7.20pm that ‘all lines from the station are currently blocked’.

‘If you are travelling now, you will need to use an alternative route and your journey will take longer than usual to complete,’ the railway operator added.

The fire alarm was pulled due to ‘reports of smoke linked to a retail unit’, Network Rail said.

The station has since reopened.

Great Northern said that the minutes-long closure may cause delays of up to 20 minutes for commuters during rush hour.

‘Please check your journey before you travel,’ it added.

‘;t may be faster to travel via an alternative train from London St Pancras, which is a five-minute 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.’

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