Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express and Great Western Railway services between London Paddington, Heathrow Terminals 4 and 5, and Reading were suspended on Wednesday morning (11 November) after emergency services responded to a casualty on the tracks, with disruption expected to last until at least 10:30am.
National Rail said emergency services were dealing with a casualty on the tracks between Paddington and Reading, forcing operators to block the line completely. Great Western Railway confirmed in a travel update that the line was blocked "due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Reading and London Paddington," warning that services "may be cancelled or delayed," with disruption originally expected until 09:30, a timeframe Network Rail later extended to 10:30am.
For passengers travelling to or from Heathrow, the practical effect was that Heathrow Express trains stopped calling at stations between Terminal 5 and Paddington, and the Elizabeth line ran no service at all between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals 4 and 5, or onward to Reading. The Elizabeth line also reported severe delays on its core central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood. A knock-on effect suspended the branch between Windsor & Eton Central and Slough, because train crew could not reach that route while the main line was blocked.
Transport for London said Elizabeth line tickets were being accepted on London Underground services as an alternative, and National Rail confirmed ticket acceptance on Chiltern Railway, CrossCountry and South Western Railway services for passengers affected. Great Western Railway warned customers that journeys could take up to 90 minutes longer, with some trains revised to cover only part of their normal route and others cancelled outright.
The disruption hit during Wednesday morning rush hour, catching out commuters and air passengers relying on rail links to reach Heathrow at the same time. Both MyLondon and Metro, reporting live updates from National Rail and Transport for London, said minor delays were also spreading to several London Underground lines, including the District, Central, Metropolitan and Northern lines, as a result of the knock-on disruption.
Heathrow Airport's flight operations were not reported as affected by this incident; the disruption is to the rail links serving the airport rather than to flights themselves. Anyone relying on the Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express to reach a flight this morning should build in significant extra time or consider an alternative route into the airport.
What this means for your journey: if you are heading to Heathrow this morning, check live rail status before you travel and have a backup plan. Our public transport guide covers alternative routes into the airport, including the Piccadilly line, National Express coaches and local buses, if rail services remain disrupted.