Rush-hour commuters are facing “major disruption” on the Elizabeth line set to last for the rest of the day.
Damage to overhead electrical wires west of London Paddington means fewer trains are able to run on all lines including to Heathrow.
National Rail is warning trains will be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes - with disruption expected until the end of the day.
Heathrow Express and Great Western Railway services are also affected.
See the latest updates below...
Elizabeth Line advice for customers
Tuesday 6 January 2026 15:33 , Georgia BellTransport for London has advised customers heading westbound to Acton Main Line, Hanwell or West Ealing to change at Southall and travel back via eastbound services.
Customers have also been told that they can change at Ealing Broadway to make use of bus services at no additional charge
Lizzy Line delays to continue 'for rest of the day' TfL says
Tuesday 6 January 2026 13:07 , Frankie Lister-FellThe latest update states there are severe delays between Maidenhead and Paddington while network Rail fix an electrical fault.
The line is part suspended between Reading and Maidenhead due to a faulty train at the station.
A TfL spokesperson told The Standard: “We apologise to Elizabeth line customers for the disruption to their journeys today.
“Network Rail has identified damage to overhead power lines which has affected services, meaning there will be a reduced service on the line for the rest of the day.
“Network Rail is working to restore service as soon as possible.”
Can you get compensation?
Tuesday 6 January 2026 10:50 , Frankie Lister-FellIt might be possible to get some money back for your delayed or cancelled journey.
Remember to keep your ticket, note down your journey and then check with the rail provider.
On the National Rail website it says:
Compensation will depend on:
- which train company you travelled with – different companies have different schemes, but they all offer compensation
- the type of ticket you have – for example, compensation for a single Day ticket is calculated differently than that for a 7-Day Season ticket
- the length of the delay in arriving at your destination – each train company has its own compensation threshold, which will be detailed in their Passenger’s Charter on their website. For example, if you are delayed by over an hour, you will generally receive more compensation than if you were delayed by 15 to 30 minutes
How can you get to Heathrow Airport?
Tuesday 6 January 2026 10:35 , Frankie Lister-FellAt the moment, getting to Heathrow Airport from central London is significantly disrupted across the Elizabeth Line, Piccadilly Line and Heathrow Express.
Severe delays are still happening on the Elizabeth Line, so travellers are advised to take alternative routes.
There are also ongoing major delays on the Piccadilly Line, which runs to the airport and is the most affordable way to get there. Due to a signal failure at Acton Town there are delays across the entire line and it’s advised people take a different route.
The Heathrow Express is running from Paddington Station to the airport, but at a reduced service. Trains are running every half an hour. This is the quickest route on offer.
From Paddington Station, you can get a series of different buses but this will roughly take an hour and 45 minutes.
Train tickets can be used on other services
Tuesday 6 January 2026 09:00 , Frankie Lister-FellGreat Western Rail has assured customers that their train ticket can be used at no extra cost on other services.
Trains between London Paddington and Reading are currently reduced to avoid congestion.
Your ticket can be used on:
Chiltern Railways between London Marylebone and Oxford
Elizabeth line between London Paddington and Reading - but this service is currently experience severe delays
South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Reading
London Bus routes:
E1 between Ealing Broadway (Stop D) and Drayton Green (Stop DH)
E6 between Hayes & Harlington (Stop L), Greenford Broadway (Stop J) and Greenford Station
E7 between Ealing Broadway (Stop F), West Ealing and Ruislip Gardens (Central Line)
E11 between Ealing Broadway (Stop K), West Ealing, Drayton Green and Castle Bar Park
105 between Greenford (Station), Southall (Station) and Heathrow (Central Bus Station)
London Underground:
Bakerloo line to London Waterloo and London Marylebone
Central line between Greenford and Ealing Broadway via North Acton
Central line between Greenford and Central London
Fares between London and Heathrow Airport on the Elizabeth Line to increase
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:52 , Frankie Lister-FellWhile the delays are still ongoing, here’s the latest news on what’s new for the Lizzy line this year.
From March, fares across the Tube network will be increased, including on the “Lizzy line”.
In Zone 1, rates will rise by 7.7 per cent, which is double the current rate of inflation.
The daily and weekly “caps” for pay-as-you-go, and the cost of Travelcards, will be frozen.
City Hall said the Elizabeth line fare to Heathrow “would still be much cheaper than the Heathrow Express” – currently £25 for a single ticket - and would only impact single journeys, mostly tourists flying out of Heathrow, as the fares cap would protect Londoners travelling to and from Heathrow for work.
The three major lines disrupted by the electrical fault
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:43 , Frankie Lister-FellAs a recap, these are the three routes currently experiencing delays, disruptions and cancellations.
- Elizabeth line to / from London Paddington
- Great Western Railway trains to / from London Paddington, and also between West Ealing and Greenford
- Heathrow Express between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5
Disruption is expected 'till the end of the day'
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:40 , Frankie Lister-FellGreat Western Railway has predicted disruption to its trains between Paddington and Reading will last until the end of the day.
In a post on X, the train service said: “Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run on all lines.
“Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or revised.
“Disruption is expected until the end of the day.”
⚠ Travel Update - 06/01 ⚠
— GWR (@GWRHelp) January 6, 2026
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run on all lines.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or revised.
Disruption is expected until the… pic.twitter.com/ffM1BJuozl
Major delays on Piccadilly line
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:32 , Frankie Lister-Fell
There are now “severe delays” on the Piccadilly line due to a signal failure at Acton Town.
The service was already suspended between Cockfosters and Arnos Grove, but TfL has just updated its website.
There are currently long delays between Acton Town and Heathrow Terminal 5, Acton Town and Heathrow Terminal 4 and Acton Town and Uxbridge.
Tickets are being accepted on London buses.
Trains running between London Paddington and Reading 'reduced'
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:24 , Frankie Lister-Fell
Trains going between London Paddington and Reading “must be reduced” to avoid congestion, Great Western Railway has said.
Great Western Railway trains between Paddington and Didcot Parkway and Newbury will only run between Reading and Didcot Parkway / Newbury.
Most longer distance Intercity services will continue to run between London Paddington and Reading, but may be subject to delay.
Some services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central will not run. And all trains between West Ealing and Greenford have been suspended.
Multiple Tube lines experiencing delays
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:12 , Frankie Lister-FellA number of Tube lines are experiencing severe and minor delays this morning.
According to TfL just now, the following services are impacted.
Severe delays
- Elizabeth line between Terminal 5 and Paddington and Terminal 4 and Paddington and Reading and Paddington
- Metropolitan Line between Aldgate and Wembley Park
Minor delays
- Bakerloo line
- Central line between White City and West Ruislip
- District line between Earl’s Court and Richmond and Earl’s Court and Ealing Broadway
- Jubilee line
- Metropolitan Line
- Norther Line between Kennington and Battersea Power Station
Part suspended
- Piccadilly line is part suspended between Arnos Grove and Cockfosters
Heathrow Express train has also been impacted
Tuesday 6 January 2026 08:05 , Frankie Lister-FellThe Heathrow Express train, which gets you from Paddington to the airport in 15 minutes, is running at a reduced service.
There is usually one express train every 15 minutes, but trains are currently departing every 30 minutes in each direction.
This will be in place for the rest of the day.
Due to an incident outside our control, we would like to inform our passengers that Heathrow Express services are currently running at a reduced frequency. Please allow for extra travel time. Current service information can be found here: https://t.co/YYbJsgSKSq pic.twitter.com/YGZREGmiDb
— Heathrow Express (@HeathrowExpress) January 6, 2026
From Paddington, the trains will depart 10 past and 40 past the hour.
From Heathrow Terminal 5, they will depart 27 past and 57 past the hour.
What is causing the delays?
Tuesday 6 January 2026 07:54 , Frankie Lister-Fell
The long delays on the Elizabeth line this morning have been caused by damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Greenford / Heathrow Terminal 5 / Reading.
'Severe' delays and a reduced service on the Elizabeth line
Tuesday 6 January 2026 07:48 , Frankie Lister-FellThe latest information shows Elizabeth line services are “severely” disrupted.
On Transport for London’s website, it says there are long delays from Abbey Wood to Reading and Heathrow Terminals while Network Rail fix an electrical fault.
Trains running from London Paddington to Heathrow Airport / Maidenhead / Reading will not call at Hanwell, West Ealing and Acton Main Line in this direction.
Trains are not able to run between West Ealing and Greenford.
Some services have been altered as follows:
- Services between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5 will run between Shenfield and London Liverpool Street
- Two trains per hour are scheduled to run between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 4, however, these are experiencing significant delays
- Two trains per hour are scheduled to run between Abbey Wood and Reading
London Underground are accepting tickets via reasonable routes.
