Elizabeth line: Paddington station evacuated over ‘false alarm’ hours after Crossrail opening

A central London underground station was evacuated during rush hour just hours after the grand opening of the new Elizabeth line.

Passengers were asked to leave Paddington station due to a false alarm at just before 9am this morning (Tuesday, May 24) - just hours after the new line opened for the first time.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson confirmed the station was now open.

It came as RMT workers staged a protest at Tottenham Court Road station to highlight “thousands of jobs under threat from Tory cuts”.

Twitter user McCartney Harvey shared a video of passengers queuing outside the station.

He said: “First evacuation on the Elizabeth Line, Paddington station is shut and evacuated. Fire brigade turned up.”

But just 15 minutes later he posted a clip of the busy station full of travellers again.

While Liam Bruce tweeted: “Happy #ElizabethLine day! Even if Paddington was evacuated at Rushhour!”

People had queued up from the early hours to ride the first train on the brand-new line, which was formally opened by the Queen last week.

Mayor Sadiq Khan, who also rode the first service at 6.30am, said: “London: The Elizabeth line is open!

“Great to meet so many passengers on the first-ever Elizabeth line train! A huge moment for our city and country.”

The TfL spokesperson told LondonWorld the station was briefly evacuated due to a “false alarm” and that Paddington had now reopened with services able to stop at the station