London’s King’s Cross station forced to close due to overcrowding

Network Rail said crowd control measures had been put in place at King’s Cross due to disruption to LNER services. Credit: @Emily741_/Twitter

London’s King’s Cross station has been forced to close due to overcrowding as passengers were warned not to travel by rail.

Network Rail said crowd control measures had been put in place at King’s Cross due to disruption to LNER services.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Network Rail said: "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."

Train operators around the UK have advised customers not to travel on Saturday due to widespread disruption after Storm Babet.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Avanti West Coast and Northern Rail have all warned against travelling as lines are widely flooded.

LNER said there is "an extremely limited service" in place due to flooding between Doncaster and Wakefield.

The service has also been impacted by speed restrictions in Scotland and trains and crews being out of position after extensive disruption on Friday.

There are no LNER services north of Edinburgh on Saturday and rail replacement services are not available because of road closures.

The train operator said remaining services may be subject to short-notice cancellations.

Northern Rail said all lines between Cheadle Hulme in Greater Manchester and Wilmslow, Cheshire, are blocked due to damage to overhead electric wires.

Services are also not running from Sheffield to Nottingham or Lincoln due to flooding.

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 said its services are severely disrupted and 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.

Leeds Bradford Airport has reopened after heavy winds forced a Tui flight with 195 passengers and crew to skid off a runway on Friday.

Tui customers who were due to travel from Leeds Bradford on Saturday are being directed to Manchester Airport, the airline said.

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