Gatwick Airport station is evacuated after two incidents cause major delays for thousands

British rail Class 700 train to Bedford arriving at platform, Gatwick airport railway station, London, England, UK. (Photo by: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Gatwick Airport Station serves thousands of passengers a day (Picture: Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

A major UK railway station was evacuated after thousands of commuters and holidaymakers endured rail chaos.

London Gatwick Airport Station was cleared of all passengers due to overcrowding earlier today but has now reopened.

Northbound and southbound services have resumed with lengthy delays after disruption at Three Bridges train station and Luton train station.

Thameslink also cancelled all their services until further notice after a person was hit by a train between Luton and St Albans City at 9.13am

A second person was then hit by a train between Haywards Heath and Gatwick Airport at 10.55am.

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Passengers pull luggage after disembarking an inter-terminal train at London Gatwick Airport Ltd. in Crawley, U.K., on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The pandemic has put a third of all tourism jobs at risk, and airlines around the world have said they need as much as $200 billion in bailouts. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Passengers were cleared off the platforms after disruption across the rail network (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Commuter numbers swelled at Gatwick Airport station as services ground to a halt, forcing staff to evacuate the platforms.

Southern Rail said this morning: ‘Gatwick Airport station has been evacuated due to overcrowding.

‘Please note that no passengers will be able to enter the station until further notice.’

A spokesperson for the station told Metro that ‘the train station has re-opened, and both north/south bound rail lines are operating with expected delays.’

National Rail has warned that delays could take more than two hours.

They said in a statement: ‘No trains can run between Luton and St Albans City in either direction until further notice.

‘No trains can run between Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath, and Horsham until further notice.

‘Please delay your journey until later in the day. If you are travelling now, your journey will take at least 120 minutes longer than usual to complete, and we cannot guarantee you will be able to reach your destination.’

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