But when you see the exterior shot of a lifeless looking station with no lights, it's easy to think for a moment, 'hey, what if something *else* is really going on'. Brr.

Yes - I liked that side of it. And Sinclair in the empty station, asking the computer if the place was evacuated... there's a real possibility, in the early scenes, that this could be something happening to the station, rather than to Sinclair.