Trains were unable to run in and out of Paddington during rush hour after a test train damaged 500m of electric wires.

National Rail said 500m of overhead electric wires were "extensively damaged" at about 10pm on Tuesday evening, stopping trains running in and out of the west London hub for several hours into Wednesday morning.

The Hitachi test train was running between London and Bristol and no passengers were on board.

Trains on the Heathrow Express, TfL rail, and Great Western Railway services were delayed throughout the morning and disruption will continue through the afternoon.

Network Rail engineers worked to fix the overhead lines and to recover stranded trains from the tracks.


The first services were able to run shortly after midday. GWR said a "reduced service" was running from the station at 12.40pm.

Image: A packed Reading station after overhead lines damage. Pic: Rich Pitts

South Western Rail, which is allowing passengers to use tickets on its services into Waterloo, is also experiencing problems, with signal failures between Reading and Wokingham.

Passengers reported crowded platforms at Reading as they tried to get into the capital during rush hour.

TfL rail services are suspended until at least 2pm, and a rail replacement bus service is operating between Paddington and London Heathrow.

Just got home 6hrs after I left Maidenhead thanks to no electrics into Paddington. @GWRHelp please advise re compensation! I’m sorry for the emergency guys who had to take all the flack with good humour. pic.twitter.com/2ahHNtRkBo — Anila Babla (@AnilaBabla) October 17, 2018

Heathrow Express customers have been told to use the Underground service.

Great Western Railway services will mostly be starting and terminating from Reading, with a reduced service between there and Slough.

The operator said: "Owing to the extent of the damage, no trains are expected to be able to operate between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington in either direction for much of Wednesday."

Customers are advised not to travel between Paddington and Slough. People coming into London from beyond Reading are asked to get to Waterloo, Marylebone or Euston, and not London Paddington.

Great Western Rail customers can use their tickets on a variety of other services and are urged to check before they travel.

Frustrated passengers were offered free tea, coffee and biscuits from a trolley wheeled around the concourse at 8.30am by GWR staff.

A Network Rail spokesperson apologised, saying: "We are experiencing severe disruption on all services into and out of London Paddington and this is likely to affect services in other areas for the rest of the day.

Image: Paddington station on Wednesday after the closure

"This is owing to 500 metres of extensive damage caused to overhead power lines in the Hanwell area yesterday evening (Tuesday 16 October). We have been working throughout the night to understand the extent of the damage and we are focusing on trying to open some lines into London Paddington as soon as possible."

Image: The station may be reopened after midday

The test damage is the latest in a series of problems with the new Hitachi trains.

Earlier this month, ScotRail had to pull them out of service when a fault was discovered which led to a "small loss of signalling" across the brake network.

Industry magazine RAIL has reported concerns over intercar connectors, which could be used as ladders to climb onto the carriage roofs.

The Office of Rail and Road told RAIL it would not be approving more Hitachi Azuma trains until the concerns were fully addressed.

Image: Commuters at Reading station following ongoing problems at Paddington Station

In September, it was reported that the new trains caused electromagnetic interference with older signals and points in the north of England, and may not be able to run on the East Coast line.

A Hitachi spokesperson 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."

Wednesday's travel chaos comes after passengers reported hours of disruption on Tuesday evening, with some facing journeys of three hours to get home.

Ava Farringdon, 29, a civil servant from Swindon, stayed overnight in London after Tuesday's problems, only to face issues going home on Wednesday morning.

Image: Empty departure boards at Paddington after a Hitachi train test damaged 500m of wires

She said: "Government needs to step in and sort this mess out. No one is held to account for poor service. But they are very happy to hike the fares by 3.5% for a service that has dropped off a cliff edge.

"£907 a month for a 56-minute train journey does not feel even remotely fair. Let alone with the bad service."

It is not clear if people were on board the reportedly stranded trains in and out of Paddington, but Anila Babla tweeted images which appeared to show passengers being helped off a train onto tracks.

Anyone facing disruption may be able to claim compensation.