LONDON, July 21: Part of London’s Underground rail network and an overland train service north of the capital were closed on Thursday after the explosions. Thousands of commuters faced difficult journeys home, although transport operators said the emergency was less serious than two weeks ago. Train operator Midland Mainline suspended its overland service to and from King’s Cross station to some destinations north of the city, including Luton Airport, after a suspicious package was discovered near one of the stations on the line.

Three stations on London’s underground were closed and services on five of the 12 lines were partially suspended shortly after four small coordinated explosions hit the underground and bus networks.

Transport for London, operator of both networks, said normal services were operating on only a quarter of the underground’s lines late on Thursday. Some lines were already closed or partly closed before Thursday’s explosions because of damage to tracks and tunnels caused by the July 7 blasts.

“We are working hard to restore services as quickly as possible,” Transport for London said in a statement.

London’s underground carries 3 million passengers a day.

The latest blasts caused only a fraction of the chaos of the July 7 explosions, when hundreds of thousands of people had to walk home when underground and bus services were suspended.

Rail network operator Network Rail said the station at St Albans, 20 miles (32 km) north of London and two stops before Luton Airport, was closed as police investigated a suspicious package found near the station.

The closure forced train company Midland Mainline to halt its Thameslink service to and from King’s Cross.

Thameslink stations at Moorgate, Farringdon and King’s Cross — all in the city — were also closed.

Transport for London said it closed Warren St, Oval and Shepherd’s Bush underground stations following Thursday’s explosions.

Services on the Hammersmith and City, Victoria and Northern lines were suspended or partly suspended Thursday, as were some services on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines.

A Network Rail spokesman said other overland train services were operating as normal. —Reuters