Doncaster Station Gas Leak 17/02/26

[Tracked]

Gas leak causes major disruption as Doncaster railway station evacuated

A gas leak is causing major disruption for rail passengers in Doncaster this afternoon – with all services cancelled and the railway station being evacuated.

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

A gas leak is causing major disruption for rail passengers in Doncaster this afternoon – with all services cancelled and the railway station being Evacuated.

A spokesperson for rail operator LNER said: “There are currently no services running in or out of Doncaster, as the station is being evacuated due to a gas leak near the railway.

Just walked past Doncaster Station, a crowd outside and staff saying it's been evacuated, a couple of fire engines were in situ. Makes a change from the wires being down near Retford...

 

[Segedunum]

Station reopened at 17:00.

 

[Tracked]

Damn! And I've just gotten comfy in the pub

 

[Banham7]

Station was evacuated just after 4pm, fast lines were re-opened about 20 minutes later but everything has started moving again now.

 

[QueensCurve]

Were trains prevented from going through to avoid any potential for ignition from an arc at the pantograph?

 

[Falcon1200]

Hopefully someone with technical knowledge can clarify, but is there really a risk of a gas leak igniting in the open air - Would the gas not simply disperse in the atmosphere? I recall a Control colleague having this discussion with the Fire Service, to no avail, when an electrified railway elsewhere was closed due to a gas leak!

 

[yorkie]

Hopefully someone with technical knowledge can clarify, but is there really a risk of a gas leak igniting in the open air - Would the gas not simply disperse in the atmosphere? I recall a Control colleague having this discussion with the Fire Service, to no avail, when an electrified railway elsewhere was closed due to a gas leak!

There may have been a concern that the gas would ignite?

 

[zwk500]

Hopefully someone with technical knowledge can clarify, but is there really a risk of a gas leak igniting in the open air - Would the gas not simply disperse in the atmosphere? I recall a Control colleague having this discussion with the Fire Service, to no avail, when an electrified railway elsewhere was closed due to a gas leak!

Possibly it depends on the size/speed/density of the leak? It will take a bit of time/space for the gas to disperse. The need to establish the level of risk before letting trains through potentially answers why the fast lines reopened after a short while.

 

[hornbeampark]

Hopefully someone with technical knowledge can clarify, but is there really a risk of a gas leak igniting in the open air - Would the gas not simply disperse in the atmosphere? I recall a Control colleague having this discussion with the Fire Service, to no avail, when an electrified railway elsewhere was closed due to a gas leak!

I only have a basic technical knowledge of natural gas behaviour from working in a regulatory function.

The lower flammable limit of CH4 (which is essentially what natural gas is) is about 5% concentration with an ignition temperature of just over 500 degrees centigrade. The arching of a pantograph, something I have absolutely no technical knowledge of, is - I am sure - thousands of degrees.

Depending on the flow rate of the leak (which could be very high in a commercial supply and varies on the nature/cause of the leak) I wouldn’t be confident that the CH4 would dissipate below 5% before the gas reaches the level of the pantographs.

That and the fact that train stations aren’t truly open air in a traditional sense, and from memory Doncaster station has a lot of canopies.

If it were my call I would say the risk is more than trivial but not significant.

A lot of waffle there. Sorry.

 

[unlevel42]

Possibly it depends on the size/speed/density of the leak? It will take a bit of time/space for the gas to disperse. The need to establish the level of risk before letting trains through potentially answers why the fast lines reopened after a short while.

Dispersal is the mostly likely outcome but becausr methane is heavier than air and will collect in drains, cellars, voids, subways, sewers, tunnels, basements etc, with the possibility of suffocation or ignition from motors, pumps situated in them. In some circumstances the gas might vent upwards in a plume as doors are opened.
People on the platforms would be vulnerable to blast, debris and even blown onto the tracks.
This would apply wether electrified or not.

 

[800001]

Were trains prevented from going through to avoid any potential for ignition from an arc at the pantograph?

With any gas leak you are advised to 'evacuate' the building, the railway station is no different.

Any gas leak has the potential to ignite/explode.

 

[Falcon1200]

There may have been a concern that the gas would ignite?

Which is why I asked what is the likelihood! Thanks to the respondents. Build up of gas in the station would certainly be an issue, depending where the leak actually was?

 

[Horizon22]

I remember when Charing Cross was closed for about 12 hours after a gas leak just outside, which caused a bit of Tuesday morning carnage 8 years ago! Doesn't need to be precisely on station premises for a cordon.

Of course the old adage that gas doesn't actually have a smell but is artifically added is relevant here to alert us (humans) to the danger.

Travel chaos after gas leak shuts Charing Cross station

Roads and rail stations are reopened following a major gas leak just off the Strand.

www.bbc.co.uk

Disruption is continuing after a gas leak closed parts of London's West End.

Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations have now reopened after being shut all morning and cordons surrounding the area have been lifted.

About 1,450 people were evacuated from a nightclub and hotel after the leak was discovered on Craven Street, just off the Strand, just after 02:00 GMT.

A ruptured gas main was responsible, London Fire Brigade said. Gas company Cadent said it had repaired the leak.

The Strand and surrounding roads are now open, though rail disruption is likely to continue until 15:00, Network Rail said.

 

[edwin_m]

Dispersal is the mostly likely outcome but becausr methane is heavier than air and will collect in drains, cellars, voids, subways, sewers, tunnels, basements etc, with the possibility of suffocation or ignition from motors, pumps situated in them. In some circumstances the gas might vent upwards in a plume as doors are opened.
People on the platforms would be vulnerable to blast, debris and even blown onto the tracks.
This would apply wether electrified or not.

Methane is lighter than air - you may be thinking of propane or butane (the sorts of gases supplied in cylinders) which have larger molecules and will definitely "pool" at ground level.

From what I read here though, it's not clear what gas was involved.

 

[unlevel42]

Methane is lighter than air - you may be thinking of propane or butane (the sorts of gases supplied in cylinders) which have larger molecules and will definitely "pool" at ground level.

From what I read here though, it's not clear what gas was involved.

Thank you for correcting my error.

 

[skyhigh]

From what I read here though, it's not clear what gas was involved.

Mains gas - and there is only 1 building on the station with a gas supply (on platform 1).

 

[DarloRich]

Surely the non stop thing is just that the station will be evacuated so there will be no staff to dispatch trains or help passengers.........

 

[35B]

Hopefully someone with technical knowledge can clarify, but is there really a risk of a gas leak igniting in the open air - Would the gas not simply disperse in the atmosphere? I recall a Control colleague having this discussion with the Fire Service, to no avail, when an electrified railway elsewhere was closed due to a gas leak!

It depends on degree. Sometime in the early 90s, the Windsor Lines were closed for several hours when a JCB went through a large gas main as the Wandsworth gas works site was being redeveloped. Emergency services were worried about arcing setting off an explosion.