London Paddington fire causes rail chaos as Heathrow trains cancelled
A fire near the tracks in London Paddington caused significant rail disruption, leading to the cancellation of Heathrow Express services and Elizabeth line delays. Emergency crews evacuated hundreds of passengers from a stranded train while electricity supply issues halted travel across the network.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the vulnerability of critical transport infrastructure in major metropolitan hubs and the impact on international travel connectivity.
Passengers in Paddington station, London after a fire near a train track in the area caused major disruption. Photograph: Mathilde Grandjean/PA Passengers in Paddington station, London after a fire near a train track in the area caused major disruption. Photograph: Mathilde Grandjean/PA Public transport London Paddington fire causes rail chaos as Heathrow trains cancelled Blaze causes electricity supply failure and disruption of services to airport and Reading
Prefer the Guardian on Google Hundreds of passengers were evacuated from a train, and services to Heathrow airport were cancelled, after a fire near tracks in the London Paddington area caused major disruptions to London’s rail network.
The fire caused an electricity supply failure which left all lines between Paddington and the airport blocked, National Rail said on Saturday afternoon.
Photographs on social media showed large plumes of smoke rising from the Paddington area.
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