Farringdon Station 'substance' emergency leaves 14 injured – full police update

Farringdon Station was locked down today after passengers reported a "chemical smell" on a platform with two hospitalised and others left needing treatment from medics . Paramedics and police, including armed officers, descended on Farringdon Station after initial reports of a gas leak. Customers and staff gathered outside with several exposed to an “unknown substance”, police said. Rail services across the capital and beyond were disrupted due to the closure, with sections of the Elizabeth Line suspended along with numerous other routes leaving thousands struggling to find transportation. London Fire Brigade said firefighters were called to a report of a smell of chemicals on an Elizabeth Line platform at Farringdon Station. “Crews attended and carried out a sweep of the area to check for no elevated readings of any chemical substances. No elevated readings were detected," the service said. "Fourteen people were treated at the scene with two of those people taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service as a precaution.” Meanwhile speculation swirled online after pictures of armed cops at the scene sparked questions about why British Transport Police would deploy an armed response to a reported gas leak. The force told the Mirror that the armed response was “typical during a significant incident”, adding that it “should not cause undue concern to the public”. A force spokesperson said: “Following enquiries at the station it is believed a small number of people potentially came into contact with an unknown substance which was initially treated as a suspected gas leak. "Paramedics treated 14 people in total, with two taken to hospital for further treatment, and armed police also attended the scene as part of the emergency response, which is typical during a significant incident and should not cause undue concern to the public in this case. "The London Fire Brigade conducted a sweep of the area and there were no elevated readings of any chemicals detected, and they declared the station safe at around 11.35am.” Meanwhile transport services are still recovering from the earlier closure of the station. In 2024/2025, Farringdon had 50,171,290 entries and exits, making it the 8th most used out of 2,586 stations in Great Britain, according to railwaydata.co.uk National Rail confirmed emergency services had completed their work following the earlier incident at Farringdon, adding that all lines have now reopened. However passengers were warned major disruption is expected to continue until 5pm today.