Rush hour chaos as the Elizabeth Line is suspended leaving passengers stranded on packed trains for more than an hour – as commuters battle to find alternative routes on strike day
- There are no major delays to trains between Paddington and London Heathrow.
- Photos published on X show people stuck in darkened carriages
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A power failure left people stranded on the Elizabeth Line this evening, with passengers stuck in overcrowded carriages unable to move.
Damage to overhead wires means there are currently no train services between Paddington and London Heathrow.
Photos posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed passengers standing on crowded trains that were stranded on the tracks for an hour.
Dr Bamo Nouri is one of those stuck and said the line has “almost completely gone down”.
Transport for London does not know how long the delays will last as the line is currently suspended.
Dr Nouri wrote on X: “The #Elizabeth line is almost completely out of power, carriages are fully loaded and many are standing still. No real or significant updates, no sense of urgency – sat there for almost an hour!”
DO YOU work on the Elizabeth Line? email martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk
The video shows passengers sitting in a darkened 1837 Paddington carriage, their faces illuminated by the glow of their mobile phones.
A power failure that damaged power lines left people stranded in crowded carriages on the Elizabeth Line this evening.
Voice-over artist Danny Cowan, who has appeared on Channel 4 and Netflix, said some passengers tried to get off the train.
One eyewitness said the X train ahead hit some overhead lines, although TfL is yet to confirm this.
Another said the train driver had to shout at passengers trying to get off the train.
The video shows passengers sitting in a darkened 1837 Paddington carriage, their faces illuminated by the glow of their mobile phones.
One frustrated passenger said: “The Elizabeth line has failed again just when passengers needed it most.” There were old people in Paddington, people with babies, who had absolutely no way of returning home.”
Mickey Worrall, who posted the video, said people were opening doors to get in line.
Danny Cowan, a voice-over artist who has appeared on Channel 4 and Netflix, was heading to his agent’s Christmas party when the train suddenly stopped more than an hour earlier.
He wrote on X that the heating had turned off and he was so cold he could barely think.
He said: ‘Hey, do you have any concerns about moving this ICY COLD (no heating) Elizabeth Line train that has been stuck near Acton Town for over an hour?
“The driver has already had to shout at passengers trying to get out. It would be nice to have some information.
A darkened subway car on the Elizabeth line where people stood for 90 minutes.
There are currently no trains running on the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and London Heathrow and it is claimed that another train has hit overhead wires.
Emma Bentley was stuck between Paddington and Acton for 90 minutes.
She said: “The carriages have already lost steam, and it seems we can walk home…”
Another stranded passenger tested his patience and wrote: “We have no power so we can’t move!” I need to pee – reason comes first!
The outage is expected to last until the end of the day, with current delays of 60 minutes.
Trains are not calling at stations between Paddington and London Heathrow and Reading, with Heathrow’s last express also cancelled.
MailOnline has contacted Transport for London for comment.
DO YOU work on the Elizabeth Line? email martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk