Are Charing Cross and Waterloo East closed, is King’s Cross station open and what caused the gas leak?

THOUSANDS of commuters are experiencing delays this morning after two train stations in central London were forced to close.

But what caused the shutdown, and why did 1,500 people have to be evacuated in the early hours of this morning?

Are Charing Cross and Waterloo East closed?

Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations are currently closed, with no trains currently running in or out of either stations.

Charing Cross station is due to reopen at 10am this morning, though services will remain disrupted until later.

Charing Cross Tube station is also closed, though Bakerloo and Northern Line trains are passing through.

Why were the stations evacuated?

A gas leak discovered at around 2am this morning has caused the widespread disruption, according to London Fire Brigade.

The force reported "high levels of natural gas coming off of a ruptured gas main" in Craven Street, just off the Strand.

Is Kings Cross open?

Kings Cross closed temporarily this morning due to overcrowding, but has since reopened.

Is the Strand open?

The Strand is closed for a half mile stretch between Trafalgar Square and Waterloo Bridge.

Northumberland Avenue was also cordoned off between Trafalgar Square and Victoria Embankment but reopened shortly before 8am.

Eleven bus routes are being diverted.

Where are trains diverted to?

Trains are diverting to Victoria, Cannon Street and Blackfriars.

Other services are being delayed or cancelled.

Embankment station is still open, but people can only enter and exit via the riverside entrance as the Villiers Street entrance is currently closed.

What caused the gas leak and when will everything reopen?

The gas leak happened in Craven Street, just off the Strand, sparking the evacuation of around 1,450 people from a nearby hotel and Heaven nightclub.

The fire service said ";high levels of natural gas" had been found in the atmosphere and a 100m cordon has been put in place.

The area cannot be reopened until the gas leak is fixed, with commuters and passengers warned that normal service is unlikely to return until this afternoon.

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