Farringdon latest LIVE: Elizabeth line 'chemical smell' panic as 14 passengers treated by medics

Farringdon station has reopened after a smell of chemicals was reported on a platform.

The station was evacuated this morning and 14 Elizabeth line passengers were treated at the scene, with two taken to hospital.

British Transport Police officers, the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade were at the scene.

However, the LFB said the area has been declared safe after no elevated readings of chemical substances were detected.

All lines have reopened and disruption caused by the station’s closure has ended, according to National Rail.

Follow the latest updates below...

The disruption caused by the closure of Farringdon station has ended, according to National Rail.

It comes just in time for commuters using the station for rush hour.

Transport for London is also reporting a good service on all lines apart from the Northern line, which is experiencing minor delays.

Trains this evening may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised, National Rail has warned.

Elizabeth line and Thameslink routes have severe delays following the reopening of Farringdon station earlier.

Disruption is expected to continue until 5pm.

Passengers may have come into contact with 'unknown substance'
Passengers at Farringdon may have come into contact with an “unknown substance”, British Transport Police has said.

The incident was initially treated as a suspected gas leak.

The force said it believed a “small number of people potentially came into contact with an unknown substance”.

BTP said armed police attended the scene as part of the response by emergency services, which is “typical during a significant incident and should not cause undue concern to the public in this case”.

Routes affected by station closure
The following routes have been affected by the station’s closure:
The Elizabeth line between Shenfield and London Paddington/Heathrow Terminal 5, and between Abbey Wood and London Paddington/Heathrow Terminal 4/Maidenhead/Reading.

Thameslink trains between Brighton/Three Bridges and Bedford, between Brighton and Cambridge, between Horsham and Peterborough, between Sevenoaks and Finsbury Park/Welwyn Garden City, between Orpington and West Hamstead Thameslink, between Sutton (Surrey) and St Albans City, and also between Rainham (Kent) and Luton.

There are also minor delays on the Metropolitan line.

All lines at Farringdon have reopened after the emergency services completed their work.

However, disruption is expected to continue at the station until 5pm, according to National Rail.

14 people treated at Farringdon
The London Ambulance Service treated 14 people at Farringdon station following reports of a suspected gas leak.

Two were taken to hospital and the others were discharged at the scene.

A spokesperson for the LAS said: “We were called at 9.40am today (30 April) 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 and paramedics from LAS HART [Hazardous Area Response Team].

“We treated 14 patients in total.

We took two people to hospital and discharged the others at the scene.”
Farringdon declared 'safe' following closure
Farringdon station has been declared safe following an inspection by the London Fire Brigade.

Firefighters have left the scene but it is not yet clear when the station will reopen.

A spokesperson for the LFB said: “Crews responded to reports of a smell of chemicals at Farringdon station.

“A sweep of the area has been carried out and the scene has been declared safe.

Firefighters have now left the scene.”
The Elizabeth line is experiencing severe disruption due to the station closure.

A spokesperson for Transport for London said the line had been hit with “severe delays due to an earlier police investigation”.

Armed police officers have been spotted at Farringdon as the station remains closed.

Thameslink, which operates services through Farringdon station, said no trains will run between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras “until further notice”.

That means Farringdon and City Thameslink stations have no services.

The entire central London section of the Elizabeth line – which runs through Farringdon – is suspended.