Issue rectified: disruption to Elizabeth line services between Reading / Heathrow Terminals and London Paddington expected until 14:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Reading / Maidenhead / Heathrow Terminal 4 and Abbey Wood, and between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Shenfield

Description

The earlier safety inspection of the line between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington has now been completed, allowing trains to resume running at line speed between these stations again.

Until service recovers, Elizabeth line services running between Reading / Heathrow Terminals and London Paddington may still be delayed by up to 15 minutes, cancelled or revised to only run for part of their normal journey.

Disruption is expected until 14:00.

A visual disruption map video is available.

Customer advice:

Passengers travelling from stations between Shenfield and Stratford (London) are advised to change at Whitechapel for a Heathrow Terminal 4 service. Heathrow Terminal 5 services may be terminated short of Heathrow Airport due to ongoing disruption. Free transfers are available between Heathrow Terminals.

Ticket acceptance:

You can use your ticket at no extra cost on the following alternative train and underground services:

• London Underground services via any reasonable route

• Great Western Railway services between Reading and London Paddington

• South Western Railway services between Reading and London Waterloo

• Chiltern Railways between London Marylebone and High Wycombe

• Docklands Light Railway via any reasonable route

• Southeastern services between London Terminals and Abbey Wood

• Thameslink services between Farringdon and Abbey Wood

Bus options:

Whilst this disruption is ongoing, buses are a simple and direct alternative. You can use your ticket at no extra cost on the below bus operators:

• London Buses on routes as follows:

  • Between Abbey Wood and London Paddington

  • Between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals / West Drayton

Options for the central section:

Abbey Wood

• Southeastern — direct services to Cannon Street, Charing Cross or London Bridge via the Bexleyheath / Dartford loop line

• Thameslink — some services also call at Abbey Wood, running through to London Bridge / central London

• Onward bus (99, 244, 180, 291) toward Woolwich or North Greenwich to pick up alternate transport if rail is also affected

Woolwich

• DLR — Woolwich Arsenal DLR station is a short distance from the Elizabeth line station, giving access to Canning Town, Canary Wharf, Bank / Tower Gateway

• Woolwich Ferry — free ferry across to North Woolwich, connecting to London City Airport DLR station

• Southeastern at Woolwich Dockyard / Woolwich Arsenal mainline for Cannon Street / Charing Cross

• Bus routes 96, 161, 244, 469 for local connections toward Greenwich / Plumstead

Custom House

• DLR — Custom House DLR station is directly adjacent, same ticket hall area, running to Canning Town (for Jubilee line) and on to Bank / Stratford / Woolwich Arsenal

• From Canning Town, the Jubilee line gives a fast alternative into central London (Canary Wharf, London Bridge, Waterloo, Westminster)

Canary Wharf

• Jubilee line — Canary Wharf Underground station is a short distance from the Elizabeth line station, with frequent services to London Bridge, Waterloo, Westminster, Bond Street, Stratford

• DLR — Canary Wharf DLR station also nearby, connecting to Bank, Tower Gateway, Stratford, Lewisham

Options for west London:

You should allow extra time to complete your journey as the bus journey will be slower than the train. You may need to change buses or travel via a major interchange. Please check live information before you travel as routes, stops and road conditions and congestion can change at short notice.

London Paddington / Heathrow Terminals and Reading:

A key tip is to travel towards Ealing Broadway or Hayes & Harlington for further connections. Key routes include:

• Ealing Broadway

  • 207 or SL8 towards West Ealing / Hanwell / Southall

  • SL8 towards Acton and 266 to Acton Main Line

• Southall

  • SL8 towards Ealing Broadway

  • 105 towards Heathrow Terminals or 195 towards Hayes and Harlington

• Hayes and Harlington

  • SL9 / 278 towards Heathrow Central and 350 towards Heathrow Terminal 5

  • 195 towards Southall

• Heathrow Terminals

  • 105 (from Terminals 2 / 3) or 482 (Terminals 4 / 5) to Southall

  • SL9 (from Terminals 2 / 3) or 350 (Terminals 5) to Hayes and Harlington and West Drayton

• West Drayton area

  • 222 / U1 to Uxbridge for Underground connections

  • 350 to Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow Terminal 5

• Slough area

  • 81 to Hounslow for Underground connections

  • 702 (non-TfL bus) towards Hammersmith and Victoria (last bus 2200)

  • Carousel Buses Route 103: Slough - Langley (Harrow Market) Operates until 19:00 (

  • First Bus Route 7: Slough - Langley (Harrow Market) - Heathrow T5. Operates until 23:30 Mon - Sun

  • First Bus Route 3: Slough - Langley - Uxbridge. Operates until 23:00 Mon - Sat & until 18:40 Sun

Please note, on Langley (Harrow Market) - the Langley "Harrow Market" bus stop is a short distance away from the station bus stop, close to the town centre, and is more likely to be used by customers than the station bus stop.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail real-time Journey Planner.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.