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Paddington disruption: Chaos on London rail lines could enter third day as power line failure continues

Disruption on routes in and out of the capital could enter its third day: Jeremy Selwyn
Disruption on routes in and out of the capital could enter its third day: Jeremy Selwyn

Chaos on London’s railway lines could continue into a third day as engineers were unable to complete repairs to severely damaged power supplies overnight.

Rail passengers were warned to expect more disruption to lines between Paddington, Heathrow and Reading as workers battled to resolve the issue on Thursday morning.

It comes after Paddington station, which serves about 100,000 passengers daily, was deserted for much of yesterday after services on key routes were suspended.

And trains were unable to run between the capital, Slough and Heathrow after 500 metres of overhead cables suffered extensive damage at Ealing on Tuesday.

Rail passengers were warned to expect more disruption today (Jeremy Selwyn)
Rail passengers were warned to expect more disruption today (Jeremy Selwyn)

Engineers were to try and resolve the issue after rush hour on Wednesday by installing new wires before trains resumed the following morning.

"The extent of the damage means we will not be able to complete our repairs in one night, so while services on Thursday morning will be significantly improved, there may still be some disruption," a Network Rail statement said.

"We advise passengers to continue to check with train operators before travelling. We apologise to passengers who have been affected by this major incident."

Network Rail, the Government-owned company responsible for managing Britain's rail infrastructure, had been planning how to fix the issue throughout the day, but could only perform repairs while trains were not running.

Passengers were left stranded as there was no services to or from Heathrow and Reading (Jeremy Selwyn)
Passengers were left stranded as there was no services to or from Heathrow and Reading (Jeremy Selwyn)

Great Western Railway (GWR), Heathrow Express and TfL Rail services have all been affected.

Two of the four lines usually used were opened at around 12.40pm after engineers cleared debris and restored power so trapped trains could be moved but disruption was expected to continue throughout Wednesday.

The damage was caused by a high-speed Class 802 Hitachi train which was being tested between London and Bristol ahead of its handover to GWR.

A Hitachi spokesman said: "After years of successful testing on the route, we are taking today very seriously. A full and thorough investigation is taking place to identify the cause."

Paddington was left deserted on Wednesday amid the chaos (Jeremy Selwyn)
Paddington was left deserted on Wednesday amid the chaos (Jeremy Selwyn)

Investigations of this kind usually take between 24 and 48 hours.

Class 802 trains are bi-mode, meaning they can operate on electric and diesel power.

They take electricity from overhead wires using pantographs mounted on their roofs.

GWR is investing £500 million in a fleet of 36 Class 802s from Hitachi - part of an overall order of 93 from the Class 800 Series which are replacing the operator's high-speed rolling stock by the end of next year.

The incident happened exactly one year after the first of the Class 800 trains to enter GWR service suffered leaking air conditioning and a 41-minute delay on its inaugural journey with senior politicians and rail bosses on board.

Following the damage in Ealing, GWR advised passengers that they could use their ticket on alternative routes, travel on Thursday or claim a refund.

Rail passengers were left stranded as the power failure crippled lines in and out of Paddington (Jeremy Selwyn)
Rail passengers were left stranded as the power failure crippled lines in and out of Paddington (Jeremy Selwyn)

Passengers trying to get to Heathrow were told to take the much slower Piccadilly Tube line to the airport or a bus replacement service.

Delays on the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith and City, Jubilee and Metropolitan London Underground lines compounded difficulties for passengers trying to get across the city after arriving at alternative rail hubs.

Some people were looking on the bright side. Three employees at a pharmaceutical company in Slough said they had been told they could work from home for the day.

One joked: "It's not so bad for us."