London travel news LIVE: Elizabeth Line misery and Heathrow to Paddington train disruption after track fault

Passengers are facing major disruption on the Elizabeth Line after a track fault on the Acton Main Line.

Transport for London said there were severe delays between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Airport/Reading while Network Rail fix a track fault.

A speed restriction as a result of the fault is also causing problems on the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5, National Rail said.It is aalso affecting trains headding West to destinations including Reading, Bristol, Cardiff and Cornwall.It follows trouble on the Tube on Thursday earlier with problems on a number of lines.

TfL has been reporting severe delays between Kennington and Camden Town, northbound via Bank, due to a signalling problem at London Bridge.Meanwhile there was no Jubilee line service between North Greenwich and Stratford and severe delays on the rest of the line due to a faulty train at West Ham.It comes after a day of severe disruption on the trains after a fire broke out next to the railway tracks in Stevenage, sparking hour-long delays on routes in and out of London.

National Rail warned that all lines that run through King’s Cross were closed with major disruption until the end of the day.

Follow the latest updates below.

Live coverage ends

22:18 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

That’s the end of our live travel news coverage for today. Many thanks for following along.

Disruption between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport expected until 9pm

19:36 , Matt Watts

A speed restriction over defective track between Acton Main Line and Ealing Broadway is causing disruption to journeys running between these stations.

As a result, trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes, revised or diverted, National Rail said.

It said there it is affecting the Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead / Reading, and also between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5. TfL said there were severe delays.

The disruption is also hitting Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway / Newbury / Bedwyn / Bristol Temple Meads / Cheltenham Spa / Worcester Foregate Street / Great Malvern / Hereford / Cardiff Central / Swansea / Weston-super-Mare / Frome / Plymouth / Penzance.

Disruption is expected until at least 9pm.

Delays on Circle, Elizabeth and Hammersmith and City lines

11:14 , John Dunne

There are minor delays on Circle, Elizabeth and Hammersmith and City lines.

The problems have been triggered by signalling problems at Southall and Hammersmith.

The delays have affected Elizabeth line services between Paddington and Heathrow.

Jubilee Line delays ease

09:19 , John Dunne

On the Jubilee a faulty train at West Ham triggered problems from early this morning.

Initially severe the delays have now been downgraded to ‘minor’ by TfL.

Delays on London-bound M20 following Kent crash

09:06 , John Dunne

There are tailbacks on the M20 northbound heading into London from Kent after a crash.

The accident happened between Junction 2 for Wrotham and the Swanley interchange.

More delays and cancellations from Stevenage into King's Cross after fire

08:11 , John Dunne

A fire near the railway at Stevenage will continue to have an impact on commuter trains into King’s Cross and Moorgate until at least midday, National rail has said.

Although the fire is out there was significant damage to the signalling equipment in the area meaning a blocked line.

A National Rail statement said: “Trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00.”

London Overground hit by signal failure at Barking

08:02 , John Dunne

There are long delays on services between Barking Riverside and Gospel Oak due to a signal failure at Barking.

Engineers are working to rectify the problem, Network Rail said.

There is a good service on all other London Overground services.

Commuters face severe delays on Jubilee and Northern Lines

07:59 , John Dunne

Tube passengers on Northern and Jubilee lines are facing severe delays.

On the Jubilee a faulty train at West Ham triggered problems from early this morning.

Meanwhile there are also long delays between Kennington and Camden Town, northbound via Bank. This was caused by a signalling problem at London Bridge.

Good morning

07:32 , Michael Howie

We’re resuming our live coverage of travel news as the morning rush-hour gets into gear.

Live coverage ends

Wednesday 9 October 2024 22:20 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Our live coverage is now ending. Thanks for following along.

For full details of the ongoing major disruption affecting Grand Central, Great Northern, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo, Thameslink trains, visit the National Rail website here.

Major disruption still expected until end of day after fire caused 'significant damage'

Wednesday 9 October 2024 20:34 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The earlier fire near the railway at Stevenage was extinguished hours ago, but major disruption is still due to affect services operated by six different rail companies until the end of the day.

National Rail says the fire “has caused significant damage to the signalling equipment in the area and only a limited number of trains will be able to run for the rest of the day”. “Trains which are running are likely to be delayed and extremely busy,” they added.

Routes affected:

  • Grand Central between Sunderland / Bradford Interchange and London Kings Cross

  • Great Northern between Stevenage and Moorgate

  • Hull Trains between Beverley / Hull and London Kings Cross

  • LNER between Aberdeen / Edinburgh / Newcastle / York / Harrogate / Leeds / Bradford Forster Square / Lincoln and London Kings Cross

  • Lumo between Edinburgh and London Kings Cross

  • Thameslink between Cambridge and London Kings Cross / Brighton, and also between Peterborough and London Kings Cross / Horsham

For full details about the disruption, visit the National Rail website here.

Video shows firefighters tackling blaze at centre of chaos

Wednesday 9 October 2024 17:25 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Photo shows fire behind major disruption

Wednesday 9 October 2024 16:55 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The trackside fire at Stevenage has now been extinguished, but is expected to cause major disruption all day.

Here’s a photo of what it looked like earlier:

Great Northern issues 'do not travel' warning

Wednesday 9 October 2024 16:29 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Train operator Great Northern has now warned passengers they should avoid travelling on its network, amid the ongoing disruption through Stevenage.

A similar warning has been made by LNER.

Large crowds at King's Cross amid major disruption

Wednesday 9 October 2024 16:09 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The trackside fire at Stevenage may have been extinguished, but it’s still expected to cause disruption for the rest of the day.

Services may be cancelled or delayed by as much as 90 minutes, says National Rail.

Posts on X show large crowds of passengers gathered at King’s Cross - one of the stations where services have been affected.

Services between Ely and Norwich due to be disrupted until 8pm

Wednesday 9 October 2024 15:58 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Faults with multiple level crossings between Ely and Norwich means all lines between the two stations are closed, which is likely to affect commuters this evening.

Trains between Ely and Norwich are unable to run and will be cancelled or revised.

Routes affected:

  • East Midlands Railway between Norwich and Nottingham / Sheffield / Liverpool Lime Street / Manchester Piccadilly

  • Greater Anglia between Stansted Airport / Cambridge and Norwich

Disruption is expected until 8pm, says National Rail.

Fire brigade says Stevenage blaze affected trackside cable equipment

Wednesday 9 October 2024 15:40 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service says it sent two fire engines to the trackside fire on the East Coast Main Line in Stevenage earlier today.

Crews found trackside cable equipment alight, with the fire affecting a gantry for overhead lines. Once the overhead power had been switched off by Network Rail, firefighters extinguished the fire with hosereels.

Mark Barber, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “Trains had to be stopped and overhead power lines isolated to allow firefighters to tackle the fire safely, but we were able to extinguish the fire quickly to minimise disruption to rail passengers.”

Fire next to railway in Stevenage now extingushed, say British Transport Police

Wednesday 9 October 2024 14:52 , Jacob Phillips

The British Transport Police has said that the trackside fire in Stevenage has been put out.

A spokesperson told the Standard: “Officers were called to the line near Stevenage railway station at around 12.30pm today (9 October) following reports of a trackside fire.

“Officers attended, alongside fire services, and the fire was extinguished.”

Signalling cables burnt in fire at Stevenage

Wednesday 9 October 2024 14:49 , Jacob Phillips

Network Rail has warned that signalling equipment was involved in the trackside fire near Stevenage station.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We’re assisting the fire service while they deal with a fire involving our signalling cabling on the East Coast Main Line at Stevenage.

“We are unable to run trains between Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage.

“Passengers are advised NOT to travel at this time. For latest updates please visit National Rail Enquiries or follow the advice of your individual train operator.”

Which trains have been disrupted by trackside fire?

Wednesday 9 October 2024 14:11 , Jacob Phillips

National Rail has warned of major disruption across its network following a fire near the tracks in Stevenage.

The issue means all lines have been closed and trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes.

Here are the routes which are facing long waits until the end of the day:

  • Grand Central between Sunderland / Bradford Interchange and London Kings Cross

  • Great Northern between Stevenage and Moorgate

  • Hull Trains between Beverley / Hull and London Kings Cross

  • LNER between Aberdeen / Edinburgh / Newcastle / York / Harrogate / Leeds / Bradford Forster Square / Lincoln and London Kings Cross

  • Lumo between Edinburgh and London Kings Cross

  • Thameslink between Cambridge and London Kings Cross / Brighton, and also between Peterborough and London Kings Cross / Horsham

Pictures show fire next to line in Stevenage

Wednesday 9 October 2024 14:02 , Jacob Phillips

A large fire has broken out next to the railway in Stevenage.

Network Rail has warned passengers to not travel and told passengers there will be major delays until the end of the day.

All trains from King's Cross until 3pm cancelled or hit by major delays

Wednesday 9 October 2024 13:58 , Jacob Phillips

All trains leaving King’s Cross have been delayed until 3pm following a fire next to the track in Stevenage.

National Rail has warned there is major disruption from the busy station.

All lines through Stevenage remain shut due to the incident.

Trains at King's Cross have been hit by major disruption due to a trackside fire (National Rail)
Trains at King's Cross have been hit by major disruption due to a trackside fire (National Rail)

Major disruption due to 'fire next to track' at Stevenage

Wednesday 9 October 2024 13:38 , Jacob Phillips

Trains between London and the north of England have been hit by major disruption following a fire next to the track at Stevenage.

National Rail has warned that all lines that run through the station have been closed and trains may be cancelled or delayed by an hour.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Trains running again on London Overground following trespasser on tracks

Wednesday 9 October 2024 10:55 , Jacob Phillips

Trains on the London Overground are running again following a trespasser on the track at Highbury and Islington.

There are currently severe delays on the line between the station and Crystal Palace/West Croydon.

Trains disrupted until midday after person hit by train

Wednesday 9 October 2024 10:52 , Jacob Phillips

National Rail has warned that trains may be delayed or cancelled until midday after a person died after being hit by a train on Wednesday morning.

The incident happened near Broxbourne railway station just north of London and travellers currently face 30-minute delays.

Greater Anglia trains running between Liverpool Street and stations like Hertford East, Cambridge and Stansted Airport have been hit by delays.

The Stansted Express is also affected.

Trespasser on the London Overground stops trains

Wednesday 9 October 2024 10:18 , Jacob Phillips

No trains are able to run on a section of the London Overground due to a trespasser on the track, Transport for London has warned.

There is no service between Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace/West Croydon while Transport for London deals with the issue.

Disruption extended after person hit by train

Wednesday 9 October 2024 10:12 , Jacob Phillips

National Rail has warned of further disruption after a person was hit by a train just outside London.

Trains may still be delayed by 45 minutes or cancelled following the incident near Broxbourne railway station.

Disruption is now expected to continue until 10.30am.

Police confirm death near Broxbourne railway station

Wednesday 9 October 2024 09:14 , Jacob Phillips

The British Transport Police has confirmed a person has died after being hit by a train near Broxbourne railway station.

A spokesperson said: “Officers were called to the line near Broxbourne railway station at around 6am this morning (9 October) following reports of a casualty on the tracks.

“Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Lines reopen but still long delays after person hit by train

Wednesday 9 October 2024 08:58 , Jacob Phillips

Lines have reopened after a person was hit by a train between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne.

National Rail has warned that trains running between the stations may still be delayed by 45 minutes or cancelled.

Stansted Express tells customers not to travel

Wednesday 9 October 2024 08:44

The Stansted Express has issued a “do not travel” warning after a person was hit by a train.

Customers are being told to defer their journeys and to wait until later on Wednesday to travel.

Delays hit several tube lines

Wednesday 9 October 2024 08:21 , Jacob Phillips

There are delays on several tube lines on Wednesday morning.

Transport for London has said there are minor delays between Stonebridge Park and Harrow & Wealdstone in the Bakerloo Line due to an earlier signal failure at Oxford Circus.

There are also minor delays on the Central Line between Hainault and Woodford via Grange Hill while TfL fix a track fault at Buckhurst Hill.

TfL said the District Line has also been hit by minor delays between Turnham Green and Ealing Broadway due to train cancellations.

Finally, the Circle Line has been hit by minor delays in a clockwise direction due to an earlier faulty train at Sloane Square.

Person hit by train in north London

Wednesday 9 October 2024 08:16 , Jacob Phillips

A person has been hit by a train between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne, closing all lines between the stations.

National Rail has warned trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 70 minutes while the emergency services carry out their work.

Major disruption is expected through rush hour until 9.30am.

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