London travel news LIVE: Landslip hits Paddington-Reading trains as signal fault sparks Southern and Thameslink chaos

Trains services into London have been thrown into disarray by a landslip and major signalling fault.

A landslip is causing severe disruption to trains services between London Paddington and Reading.

National Rail is reporting an “unstable area of earth” has been discovered between Twyford and Reading, which has meant that two out of the four lines have been closed.

It means trains running between Paddington and Reading could be delayed or cancelled until the end of the day, National Rail says.

Affected services include Great Western Railway services, Elizabeth Line trains and the Heathrow Express.

Meanwhile a “major signalling fault across the whole route between London and the South Coast” has caused chaos for the south-east network, with Gatwick Express services unable to run at all at one point.

Southern and Thameslink trains were also badly impacted by the fault, which came as wet and windy weather hit parts of southern England, where a yellow warning for “persistent rain” and possible flooding was in place on Monday morning.

Follow latest updates below...

What to know about getting around London today:

• Catch up on the rail chaos in the south east

• Recap on London Paddington disruption

• Minor delays to Bakerloo Line

• Elizabeth Line part suspended

• Tram part suspended

• Central Line part suspended

• Severe and minor delays to Piccadilly Line

Live coverage ends

Monday 26 February 2024 21:43 , Josh Salisbury

Thanks for joining us for our coverage of today’s travel disruption. Live coverage is now ending, but we will be back tomorrow.

Minor delays between St Pancras and Blackfriars

Monday 26 February 2024 20:38 , Josh Salisbury

Lines have reopened following a fault on a train earlier today between St Pancras and Blackfriars, National Rail has said.

Trains between these stations may still be delayed by up to 10 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 9pm.

Disruption across Southern and Thameslink continues

Monday 26 February 2024 17:41 , Josh Salisbury

Disruption will continue on Southern, the Gatwick Express and Thameslink until at least 6pm.

Southern said in a message to customers that a “number of incidents” today between East Croydon and Brighton and between Brighton and Worthing could mean cancellations or delays of up to 30 minutes.

Further disruption to Heathrow services

Monday 26 February 2024 17:23 , Josh Salisbury

No services are currently running on the Heathrow Express because of trespassers on the railway, the company has said.

In a message to customers, it said: “Please seek alternative travel methods to and from Heathrow Airport. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

However, other services such as the Elizabeth line to Heathrow are also disrupted because of a landslip affecting services between Paddington and Reading.

Overground between Watford and Euston disrupted

Monday 26 February 2024 16:49 , Josh Salisbury

Overground services between Watford Junction and Euston are disrupted due to a signalling fault at Kensal Green.

As a result of this, trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected until 5.45pm, said National Rail.

Paddington disruption to continue until end of day

Monday 26 February 2024 15:59 , Josh Salisbury

In its latest update, Network Rail has said the Elizabeth Line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express will still be disrupted until the end of the day.

This is because some lines are still blocked between Paddington and Reading because of a landslip.

Trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

The following routes are affected:

Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood / London Paddington and Reading and also between Shenfield / London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals

Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Weston-super-Mare / Swansea / Taunton / Reading / Plymouth / Penzance / Oxford / Newbury / Bedwyn / Great Malvern / Didcot Parkway

Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals

Recap on London Paddington disruption:

Monday 26 February 2024 15:14 , Jordan King

The Elizabeth Line, Great Western Railway and the Heathrow Express are still facing disruption because a landslip between London Paddington and Reading left some lines blocked.

The following routes are affected:

• Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood / London Paddington and Reading and also between Shenfield / London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals

• Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Weston-super-Mare / Swansea / Taunton / Reading / Plymouth / Penzance / Oxford / Newbury / Bedwyn / Great Malvern / Didcot Parkway

• Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals

See here for more details.

South east chaos will last until at least 4pm now

Monday 26 February 2024 15:12 , Jordan King

The chaos on the Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink network is not expected to clear up until at least 4pm.

The following routes are still affected:

• Gatwick Express between London Victoria and Brighton

• Southern between London Victoria and Littlehampton / Eastbourne / Hastings / Ore and also between Brighton / Hove / Portsmouth & Southsea / Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton Central

• Thameslink between Cambridge / Bedford and Brighton

Gatwick Express:

Gatwick Express has started running services between London Victoria, Gatwick and Brighton.

The first service from London Victoria to Gatwick and Brighton departed at 12.30pm.

The first service from Brighton to Gatwick and London Victoria left at 1.09pm.

Earlier this morning, there were no Gatwick Express services running at all.

Southern:

Travellers were told not to travel earlier this morning. While this is no longer the message from the operator, several Southern lines are still being hit with delays.

Check your specific journey here.

Thameslink:

Some Thameslink services to/from the South Coast and via Redhill are still disrupted, while some may be cancelled on the direct route between Brighton and Cambridge.

You can check your specific journey here.

Central Line part suspended

Monday 26 February 2024 14:10 , Jordan King

There is no service between Woodford and Epping while TfL deals with a trespasser on the track at Debden - good service on the rest of the line.

Tram part suspended

Monday 26 February 2024 13:32 , Jordan King

There is no service between Lloyd Park and New Addington due to emergency engineering work in the area - good service on the rest of the network.

Paddington to Heathrow disruption expected until 2pm

Monday 26 February 2024 13:21 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Great Western Railway says rail services between Paddington and Heathrow Airport are expected to be disrupted until 2pm.

Delays hit entire Elizabeth Line

Monday 26 February 2024 12:53 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Elizabeth Line services remain suspended between Paddington and Heathrow/Reading.

TfL now says there are also severe delays between Abbey Wood and Paddington, and minor delays on the rest of the line.

Minor delays on Bakerloo Line

Monday 26 February 2024 12:45 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

There minor delays on the Bakerloo Line between Harrow & Wealdstone and Stonebridge Park due to a signal failure at Harrow & Wealdstone.

Elizabeth Line suspended between Paddington and Heathrow

Monday 26 February 2024 12:26 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

A reminder that there is currently no Elizabeth Line service operating between Paddington and Heathrow terminals / Reading. TfL says it is working to remove a tree from the track at Burnham.

Gatwick Express has started running limited service to/from London Victoria

Monday 26 February 2024 12:05 , Jordan King

Gatwick Express has started to run a limited service between Gatwick and London Victoria.

Services between Gatwick and Brighton are still suspended until further notice.

Disruption to trains in south east expected until at least 3pm

Monday 26 February 2024 12:03 , Jordan King

The chaos on the Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink network is not expected to clear up until at least 3pm.

The following routes are still affected:

• Gatwick Express between London Victoria and Brighton

• Southern between London Victoria and Littlehampton / Eastbourne / Hastings / Ore and also between Brighton / Hove / Portsmouth & Southsea / Portsmouth Harbour / Southampton Central

• Thameslink between Cambridge / Bedford and Brighton

You can check your specific train here.

Severe and minor delays to Piccadilly Line

Monday 26 February 2024 11:58 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Hyde Park Corner and Cockfosters due to an earlier faulty train, with minor delays on the rest of the line.

Metropolitan Line no longer delayed

Monday 26 February 2024 11:58 , Jordan King

The Metropolitan Line has returned to running a good service.

Severe delays to Piccadilly Line

Monday 26 February 2024 11:19 , Jordan King

There are severe delays between Hyde Park and Arnos Grove eastbound while we TfL fixes a faulty train - good service on the rest of the line.

Tube pay deal averts week of strikes

Monday 26 February 2024 11:05 , Jordan King

Sadiq Khan on Monday hailed a £30 million Tube pay deal that averted a week of strikes and which will give the lowest paid staff an 11 per cent increase.

The deal — which provides a basic five per cent increase plus a lump sum of up to £1,400 — was struck after the Mayor unexpectedly found additional millions to prevent a rolling walkout by 10,000 RMT members in the first week in January.

All 16,500 London Underground staff will now have the pay boost backdated to last April after Unite and the TSSA followed the RMT and Aslef in accepting the offer.

Read more here.

Total London bus miles cut by 22 million in six years

Monday 26 February 2024 11:04 , Jordan King

The number of miles covered by London buses has been cut by 22 million in six years, new figures show.

Research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that since 2017, the first full year that Sadiq Khan was Mayor of London, the number of miles driven by bus services has reduced from an all-time peak of 304 million to 282 million in 2023.

Read more here.

Elizabeth Line no longer delayed

Monday 26 February 2024 10:52 , Jordan King

The ELizabeth Line has returned to running a good service.

Changes to Bakerloo Line delays

Monday 26 February 2024 10:51 , Jordan King

The Bakerloo Line is no longer severely delayed, the delays between between Harrow and Wealdstone and Queens Park southbound only are now minor. There is a good service on the rest of the line.

Bakerloo Line severely delayed

Monday 26 February 2024 10:42 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Harrow and Wealdstone and Queens Park southbound only while TfL fixes a faulty train at Stonebridge Park.

Jubilee Line no longer delayed

Monday 26 February 2024 10:42 , Jordan King

The Jubilee Line has returned to running a good service.

London Overground no longer suspended

Monday 26 February 2024 10:22 , Jordan King

The London Overground has returned to running a good service.

This is a change to earlier this morning, when the line was not running any service between Cheshunt and Edmonton Green due to an earlier customer incident at Stoke Newington.

Elizabeth Line delays now minor

Monday 26 February 2024 10:21 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays due to a tree on the track at Twyford and a fault with the overhead power supply lines at Stratford.

This is a change to the line’s previous disruption, when there were severe delays between Abbey Wood/Shenfield and Whitechapel.

Change to Elizabeth Line delays

Monday 26 February 2024 09:28 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Abbey Wood/Shenfield and Whitechapel, with minor delays to the rest of the line.

Minor delays to Metropolitan Line

Monday 26 February 2024 09:12 , Jordan King

There are minor delays between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aldgate due to an earlier faulty train at Neasden - good service on the rest of the line.

Minor delays to Jubilee Line

Monday 26 February 2024 09:06 , Jordan King

There are minor delays while TfL fixes a faulty train at Neasden.

Piccadilly Line no longer delayed

Monday 26 February 2024 09:06 , Jordan King

The Piccadilly Line has returned to running a good service.

London Overground part suspended

Monday 26 February 2024 09:05 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Cheshunt and Edmonton Green due to an earlier customer incident at Stoke Newington - good service on the rest of the line.

Disruption between London Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale extended

Monday 26 February 2024 08:46 , Jordan King

Disruption to trains between London Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale/Romford is now expected until 10.30am.

Lines have reopened, after damage to the overhead electric wires in the Stratford area (see below), but trains may still be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 30 minutes whilst service recovers.

The following routes are affected:

• Elizabeth line between Heathrow Terminals / London Paddington and Shenfield and also between London Liverpool Street and Gidea Park

• Greater Anglia between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria / Southminster / Witham / Braintree / Colchester Town / Clacton-on-Sea / Ipswich / Norwich and also between Stratford and Meridian Water / Hertford East / Bishops Stortford

If you commute via London Bridge:

Monday 26 February 2024 08:44 , Jordan King

A points failure between London Bridge and Charlton means all lines are disrupted, meaning Thameslink trains are unable to run on the line towards Dartford.

Services may be cancelled, diverted or delayed.

This disruption is expected until at least 12pm.

Routes affected:

• Thameslink trains between Luton / West Hampstead Thameslink and Rainham

Minor delays to Elizabeth Line

Monday 26 February 2024 08:23 , Jordan King

There are minor delays between Hayes & Harlington and Reading due to a tree on the track at Twyford - good service on the rest of the line.

Disruption between London Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale/Romford

Monday 26 February 2024 08:00 , Jordan King

Damage to the overhead electric wires between in the Stratford area means some are blocked.

This has left trains between London Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale/Romford at risk of being cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 30 minutes.

The following routes are affected:

• Elizabeth line between Heathrow Terminals / London Paddington and Shenfield and also between London Liverpool Street and Gidea Park

• Greater Anglia between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria / Southminster / Witham / Braintree / Colchester Town / Clacton-on-Sea / Ipswich / Norwich and also between Stratford and Meridian Water / Hertford East / Bishops Stortford

This disruption is expteced until at least 9am.

If you commute via London Victoria

Monday 26 February 2024 07:56 , Jordan King

Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express trains have been hit by severe disruption after a “major signalling fault across the whole route between London and the South Coast”.

No Southern services between Littlehampton and London Victoria are running this morning and neither are any Gatwick Express trains.

Meanwhile, Southern services between Eastbourne and London Victoria will call additionally at Three Bridges.

You can check your specific journey here.

Trains in South East facing major disruption after signal failure

Monday 26 February 2024 07:47 , Jordan King

Rail services are facing severe delays because of a major signalling fault.

The Gatwick Express is not running at all and neither are Southern services between Littlehampton and London Victoria or Thameslink services between Cambridge and Brighton.

The following routes are affected:

Southern:

• Services between Littlehampton and London Victoria will not run

• Southern services between Brighton and Chichester are heavily disrupted and reduced to an hourly service. If you are travelling on this route you may wish to travel via Three Bridges and Horsham. Doing so will increase your journey time by around an hour. You can also use your ticket on Brighton & Hove Buses or Stagecoach Buses 700 on this route

• Services between Eastbourne and London Victoria will call additionally at Three Bridges

Thameslink

• Services between Cambridge and Brighton will not run. If you are travelling on this route please use alternative Great Northern services between Cambridge and London and alternative Thameslink services between London and Brighton

• There is a reduced service at Preston Park, Hassocks, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath towards Gatwick Airport. Services through these stations are expected to be extremely busy so please allow an extra 30 minutes to complete your journey.

Delays to Piccadilly Line now minor

Monday 26 February 2024 07:37 , Jordan King

The delays between Acton Town and Rayners Lane (due to train cancellations) are now minor. There is still a good service on the rest of the line.

Gatwick Express not running this morning

Monday 26 February 2024 07:28 , Jordan King

The Gatwick Express is disrupted today, after “a number of incidents between East Croydon and Brighton”, including a “major signalling fault across the whole Gatwick Express Network”. Travellers have been advised to use alternative Southern or Thameslink services to get to the airport.

This disruption is estimated to continue until 12pm.

Crash on the M25

Monday 26 February 2024 07:12 , Jordan King

There are currently long delays on the M25 anti-clockwise before Junction 16 because of a crash, according to traffic monitoring site Inrix.

Good service on Central Line for now

Monday 26 February 2024 06:59 , Jordan King

TfL is reporting a good service on the Central Line at the moment - we will let you know if this changes because of its chronic shortage of trains.

Severe delays to Piccadilly Line

Monday 26 February 2024 06:54 , Jordan King

There are severe delays between Acton Town and Rayners Lane due to train cancellations - good service on the rest of the line.

If you commute via London Paddington:

Monday 26 February 2024 06:52 , Jordan King

Trains running between London Paddington and Reading may be delayed by up to an hour.

This is because of a landslip between Twyford and Reading.

The following routes are affected:

• Elizabeth line between Abbey Wood / London Paddington and Reading

• Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Weston-super-Mare / Swansea / Taunton / Reading / Plymouth / Penzance / Oxford / Newbury / Bedwyn / Great Malvern / Didcot Parkway

This “major disruption” is expected to last until the end of the day.

You can check your specific journey here.

If you face delays, you may be entitled to compensation - you can check here.

Good morning!

Monday 26 February 2024 06:44 , Jordan King

Hello and welcome to The Evening Standard’s London travel blog.

Stay with us and we’ll keep you up to date with everything you need to know for getting around the capital and its surrounding areas today.