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, but commuters travelling on Thameslink and the Elizabeth line face severe delays until this evening.
Follow the latest updates below...
National Rail disruption
14:14 , Alastair LockhartTrains 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'
13:25 , Alastair LockhartPassengers 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
13:13 , Alastair LockhartThe 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 reopen
12:57 , Alastair LockhartAll 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
12:51 , Alastair LockhartThe 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.”
#IncidentUpdate
— London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) April 30, 2026
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.
1/2 🔽 https://t.co/GPZ3fhnocQ
Farringdon declared 'safe' following closure
12:34 , Alastair LockhartFarringdon 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.”
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.
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) April 30, 2026
More: https://t.co/gMz7rghQei pic.twitter.com/pXXkaThoAX
Elizabeth line delays
11:44 , Alastair LockhartThe 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 at the scene
11:29 , Alastair LockhartArmed police officers have been spotted at Farringdon as the station remains closed.
Images shared on social media show police and emergency services outside the station, while pedestrians remain behind a cordon some distance away.
ایستگاه Farringdon در مرکز لندن بسته شده و پلیس مسلح دور و برشه. نوشتن احتمالا بخاطر نشت گاز حال چند مسافر بد شده 🤷🏻♀️ این ایستگاه بزرگ نزدیک محله طلا و جواهر لندنه و همیشه شلوغ، منم زیاد گذرم بهش میفته. https://t.co/AAW5KY0Nqk pic.twitter.com/5rZ02MPi4F
— Sara Peymanpour 🇮🇷🇬🇧 (@sarapeymanpour) April 30, 2026
Train services affected
11:19 , Alastair LockhartThameslink, 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.
Emergency services at the scene in Farringdon
11:10 , Alastair LockhartFootage shared on social media shows a large number of fire engines, ambulances and police cars at Farringdon station.
Farringdon right now pic.twitter.com/iL65epjnj4
— Yoshi Babaganoush (@minted_i) April 30, 2026
Farringdon station closed by 'gas leak'
11:05 , Alastair LockhartA spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “We are on scene at Farringdon station following reports of a suspected gas leak, with a small number of passengers reporting feeling unwell.
“Officers are in attendance, alongside @Ldn_Ambulance and @LondonFire, and the station has been evacuated while enquiries are conducted.”
We are on scene at Farringdon station following reports of a suspected gas leak, with a small number of passengers reporting feeling unwell.
— British Transport Police (@BTP) April 30, 2026
Officers are in attendance, alongside @Ldn_Ambulance and @LondonFire, and the station has been evacuated while enquiries are conducted. pic.twitter.com/KCmEsMWibq
Elizabeth line subject to minor delays
08:43 , Niva YadavThere are minor delays between Paddington and Heathrow/Reading while TfL deal with a trespasser on the train.
Services from Heathrow to Paddington and Reading to Paddington are affected in both directions.
A406 North Circular Road subject to serious delays
08:32 , Niva YadavThe A406 North Circular Road near by Redbridge Roundabount is subject to serious delays due to an earlier vehicle collision.
Though all lanes are now open, eastbound queues are back towards Chingford Mount Road and southbound traffic on the M11 is queuing beyond Junction 5.
Motorists should expect delays.
Minor delays on Jubilee and Northern lines
08:21 , Niva YadavThere are minor delays on the Jubilee and Northern lines.
The Jubilee line is delayed between Wembley Park and Stanmore, while the entire Northern line is subject to delays.
Both delays are the results of points failures at Stanmore and Camden Town respectively.
Central line delays affecting westbound services
08:19 , Niva YadavThere are delays on westbound Central line services due to an earlier faulty train at Mile End.
TfL says there is a good service on the rest of the line.
