King’s Cross St Pancras has fully reopened following a major security alert which saw the busy transport hub evacuated while police carried out a controlled explosion on an unattended car.
Police and other emergency services descended on the station on Tuesday afternoon, August 18, after concerns were raised about a vehicle left outside the transport hub. The main and North entrances were closed, and passengers were evacuated while officers established cordons around the area.
Pancras Road was also blocked as police dealt with the incident. Specialist officers subsequently carried out a controlled explosion on the vehicle.
Images from the scene showed a damaged silver car following the operation, with windows broken and shattered glass surrounding the vehicle. The Metropolitan Police later confirmed that the vehicle had been examined and deemed non-suspicious, with no indication that it posed a genuine security threat.
Passengers who had been evacuated were subsequently told it was safe to return to the station. Transport for London confirmed that King’s Cross St Pancras had fully reopened shortly before 3.30pm.
Despite the reopening, the incident caused significant disruption across London’s rail network. Some Eurostar services were delayed by at least 30 minutes, while East Midlands Railway warned passengers of disruption affecting services between London St Pancras and Corby, Leicester, Derby and Sheffield.
EMR warned that trains travelling to and from London St Pancras could be subject to short-notice delays of up to 30 minutes or cancellations while services recovered. Road traffic was also affected, with queues building around St Pancras and bus route 214 diverted during the incident.
Witnesses reported a heavy police presence as officers worked inside the cordoned area and evacuated passengers gathered outside the station. The security alert has now been stood down, and the station reopened, although passengers have been advised to check their journeys as residual delays and cancellations may continue.
Police enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the unattended vehicle are continuing.
