London travel news LIVE: Elizabeth line chaos as overhead line problems in west London cause severe delays

Jordan King

28 March 2024 at 3:43 am·4-min read

Severe delays have hit the Elizabeth line ahead of Wednesday’s evening rush hour.

The disruption is affecting routes between Paddington and Reading/Heathrow Airport and between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

This is because of overhead line problems in the West Ealing area. It comes as millions of people prepare to head off on their Easter holidays. Motorists are being warned to expect serious travel delays with traffic expected to rise sharply on Thursday afternoon.

Transport analysts at Inrix says roads will be extremely between 2pm and 7pm when holiday journeys mix with regular commutes.

The busiest route is expected to be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick and the M1 for Hertfordshire.

The RAC has warned motorists that journey times on popular routes could take twice as long as normal over the Easter bank holiday weekend, with more than 14 million getaway trips expected to take place.

Follow latest updates below.

Live coverage ends

Wednesday 27 March 2024 21:32 , Josh Salisbury

Thank you for reading, our live coverage is now ending.

Join us tomorrow where we will have the latest travel and traffic updates.

Disruption to Southeastern services after stabbing

Wednesday 27 March 2024 19:43 , Josh Salisbury

Services to and from Beckenham Junction in south London are disrupted after a horrifying stabbing on a train.

A man has been left fighting for life after the incident at 4pm onboard a Southeastern service travelling from Shortlands railway station to Beckenham Junction.

As a result, both Southeastern and Southern services are disrupted in the area.

Disruption on Elizabeth, Piccadilly and Bakerloo Lines

Wednesday 27 March 2024 16:46 , Josh Salisbury

The Bakerloo Line has no service between Queen's Park and Harrow & Wealdstone while Network Rail fix a signal failure at Wembley Central.

Meanwhile on the Elizabeth Line, there remains no service between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. There are severe delays between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow and Reading and minor delays between Paddington and Abbey Wood.

Meanwhile, on the Piccadilly Line, there is no service between Northfields and Heathrow Terminals westbound only due to a person ill on a train.

Severe delays on Elizabeth line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 15:10 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Paddington and Reading / Heathrow Airport and between Paddington and Abbey Wood due to overhead line problems in the West Ealing area - good service on the rest of the line.

District line no longer delayed

Wednesday 27 March 2024 14:14 , Jordan King

The District line has returned to running a good service.

Minor delays to Jubilee line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 14:14 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays on the Jubilee line due to an earlier customer incident.

London Overground no longer suspended

Wednesday 27 March 2024 13:28 , Jordan King

The London Overground has returned to running a good service.

Severe delays to Elizabeth line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 13:27 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Paddington and Reading / Heathrow Airport and between Paddington and Abbey Wood due to overhead line problems in the West Ealing area.

Severe delays to Jubilee line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 13:26 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays due to an earlier customer incident.

District line severely delayed

Wednesday 27 March 2024 12:11 , Jordan King

The District line was part suspended but it is now severely delayed - between Turnham Green and Richmond.

This is because of a Network Rail signal failure at Richmond.

Elizabeth line part suspended

Wednesday 27 March 2024 12:10 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Paddington and Reading / Heathrow Airport due to overhead line problems - good service on the rest of the line.

Elizabeth line no longer delayed

Wednesday 27 March 2024 11:49 , Jordan King

The Elizabeth line has returned to running a good service.

London Overground part suspended

Wednesday 27 March 2024 11:13 , Jordan King

No service between South Acton and Richmond while Network Rail fixes a signal failure at Richmond - good service on the rest of the line.

District line part suspended

Wednesday 27 March 2024 11:13 , Jordan King

No service between Turnham Green and Richmond while Network Rail fixes a signal failure at Richmond - good service on the rest of the line.

Minor delays to Elizabeth line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 10:17 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays between Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading while Network Rail conducts a safety inspection of the track good service on the rest of the line.

Central line no longer delayed

Wednesday 27 March 2024 09:07 , Jordan King

The Central line has returned to running a good service.

Minor delays to Central line

Wednesday 27 March 2024 08:38 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays between Leytonstone and Epping / Hainault via Newbury Park due to earlier faulty trains - good service on the rest of the line.

Bakerloo line part suspended

Wednesday 27 March 2024 08:36 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Queen's Park and Harrow & Wealdstone while we TfL fixes a signal failure at Wembley Central - good service on the rest of the line.

Good morning