YORK rail passengers hoping for a trouble free journey on the East Coast mainline after Network Rail reopened Kings Cross station in London this morning were disappointed.

For a second day running, travellers experienced nightmare journeys caused by over-running engineering works.

Southbound trains faced long delays getting into the London terminus and northbound trains out of the capital were also affected. Passengers tweeted that they were having to stand for long periods because the coaches were so crowded.

Many of today's passengers had delayed their journeys from yesterday, when Kings Cross was closed all day and trains were stopping and starting at Finsbury Park instead.

But the station became so dangerously overcrowded that it had to be closed temporarily, with travellers prevented from entering it to ease congestion.

British Transport Police said the queue to enter the station after it reopened was about an hour long, with a further hour for trains to disembark and arrive.

Travellers tweeted pictures of the station concourse jammed with travellers, with one claiming it was 'disorganised chaos', and another tweeting: "Whatever genius had the plan ‘send all of Kings X here’ should be fired.”

Passengers on board the trains also tweeted pictures of packed carriages, with people crowding together in aisles.

York station was busy yesterday, with extra East Coast staff on hand to explain to passengers how they should get to London.

East Coast was running an amended half hourly service to and from Finsbury Park, while Grand Central trains are terminating and starting at Peterborough, with passengers able to use their tickets to travel instead today or on Monday.

An East Coast spokesman said the problems had arisen on one of the busiest days of the year for the East Coast mainline, with 37,000 passengers originally having been expected to travel today on the route.

*Have you suffered a nightmare train journey from London? Email newsdesk@thepress.co.uk.