Grand Central station concourse 'evacuated' after bottles wrapped in plastic found 'leaking' in 'Hazmat incident'

THE concourse of New York City's Grand Central Station has been evacuated over a hazmat situation.

Police discovered a suspicious package at the iconic train station that contained five leaking bottles wrapped in plastic.

The evacuation began shortly before 3pm on Tuesday, the New York City Police Department said.

The bottles, containing what appeared to be cloth coming out of the tops, were strategically placed in front of the station's police desk.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials examined the bottles before deeming them safe and reopening the concourse at around 3.30pm.

"There was a police investigation on the upper level," Metro-North Railroad tweeted. "The issue has now been cleared."

At the station, civilians were briefly barred from entering part of the building.

"The main area is blocked off," a witness on the scene said in a tweet. "Armed military and firefighters are inside."

The situation came after a 35-year-old woman was found dead inside a car surrounded by hazardous materials in Manhattan earlier this month.

There were no signs of foul play and no injuries were reported.