Paddington-Reading blocked due to OLE isolation and lineside fire (5/9)

[class ep-09]

Will they be pan up anywhere? Or is it just simpler to cancel electric working route wide.

Reading

 

[Siemens Staines]

journeycheck reporting disruption now extended until 15/09

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to vandalism of railway equipment between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 15/09/26.

 

[rd749249]

Noticeable lack of power in sections up to Maidenhead. As low as 18Kw on the HMI.

 

[Horizon22]

Disruption now extended until 15/09

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to vandalism of railway equipment between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 15/09/26.

As I said in post #90, this will go on for at least a week - quite possibly longer - with reduced services to reduce the load on the OLE whilst Kensal Green is repaired.

 

[mickey]

At least one IET was running on electricity today, it went past me at Slough this afternoon.

Reduced services are very annoying though, particularly since commuters are back in earnest this week after the summer.

 

[800301]

Noticeable lack of power in sections up to Maidenhead. As low as 18Kw on the HMI.

Yeah we saw 17 on the 80x and they didn’t seem very happy about it but I’d still rather be on leccy than diesel

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Sep 2026 ==

At least one IET was running on electricity today, it went past me at Slough this afternoon.

Reduced services are very annoying though, particularly since commuters are back in earnest this week after the summer.

There is no longer a restriction to run in diesel, there was however an isolation at North Pole and as such some drivers were just leaving them in diesel

 

[Tester]

On the 0748 Paddington to Swansea and can confirm that we are pan up.

 

[LowLevel]

"weeks not days" to fix it was the latest update with the reduced timetable continuing.

 

[JulienD]

At least one IET was running on electricity today, it went past me at Slough this afternoon.

Reduced services are very annoying though, particularly since commuters are back in earnest this week after the summer.

On Monday I was taken back from Reading to Slough on an IET on Electric, the train made an additional stop!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Sep 2026 ==

I think the driver might have put it straight into full power when leaving Reading because the train was late and I was pressed into my seat when we left!

 

[swt_passenger]

Noticeable lack of power in sections up to Maidenhead. As low as 18Kw on the HMI.

I think you mean the OHLE voltage was as low as 18 kV?

 

[sammyg901]

Nothing from Oxford toward Paddington between 7.25 & 9.52 this morning. I was on the 7.45 to Marylebone which was cosy but OK but the following 2 Chiltern Railways departures are only 2 carriages so they could have been interesting!

 

[boodle]

I received an email from TfL:

A reduced timetable is in place on the Elizabeth line west of Paddington, due to vandalism of railway equipment.

Train times and frequencies may differ from the usual timetable, with two trains running per hour on some days.

If you're travelling to Heathrow, the Elizabeth line will still run but you may experience a longer journey. The Piccadilly line also runs to Heathrow, except on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20, and Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September.

Plan ahead, allow more time for your journey and check before you travel on our website or on TfL Go.

We will contact you again as soon as we have more information on this disruption.

 

[Falcon1200]

Nothing from Oxford toward Paddington between 7.25 & 9.52 this morning.

1D15 0900 Oxford-Paddington ran! And were the disrupted services from the Cotswold Line not due to signalling problems on that route?

 

[class ep-09]

1D15 0900 Oxford-Paddington ran! And were the disrupted services from the Cotswold Line not due to signalling problems on that route?

Cable theft somewhere between Evesham and Worcester caused absolute carnage in the morning for trains going towards Paddington on North Cots Line ( and to lesser extent away from London).

Some diverted via Cheltenham and Swindon, which did not help 100’s of people between Worcester and Oxford unfortunately . Others heavily delayed or terminated short of their destinations.

 

[D6130]

I read somewhere this morning - but I can't remember where - that a man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with this fire.

 

[Jimini]

I read somewhere this morning - but I can't remember where - that a man has been arrested and charged with arson in connection with this fire.

Auntie.

Rail passengers face a fifth day of reduced services west of London Paddington after a fire damaged power equipment beside the tracks.

The Elizabeth line is running only two trains an hour to Heathrow and Reading, while Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services have also been cut.

The fire broke out at Scrubs Lane in Kensal Green on Saturday afternoon, damaging an electrical substation and cabling supplying the overhead lines.

British Transport Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of arson and has been released on bail.

(My bold.)

 

[D6130]

Auntie.



(My bold.)

Thanks!

 

[Kilopylae]

The BBC article says the fire broke out on Scrubs Lane, the B Road which crosses the line via bridge, not the towpath as some have been speculating.

 

[D6130]

The BBC article says the fire broke out on Scrubs Lane, the B Road which crosses the line via bridge, not the towpath as some have been speculating.

Given the current standards of journalism and proof-(non)-reading on the BBC News website, I wouldn't hold much store by that.

 

[mickey]

There is no longer a restriction to run in diesel

In that case I no longer agree with the decisions they’ve taken to slash the service so heavily. Given that we’re now back in full commuter mode after the summer lull, GWR semi-fasts should be allowed to run (even if only during peak hours on Tu/We/Th), and Crossrail full service, before IETs go back to drawing any limited power that’s available. It’s been chaos for passengers today.

 

[Falcon1200]

Cable theft somewhere between Evesham and Worcester caused absolute carnage in the morning for trains going towards Paddington on North Cots Line ( and to lesser extent away from London).

Thanks! And despite what National Rail Enquiries said, or rather didn't say, there was still chaos in the afternoon, with Hereford services being turned short and the train I was on, 1P30 1518 Worcester Foregate Street-Paddington, 63 minutes late by the time it got to Oxford.

 

[rd749249]

I think you mean the OHLE voltage was as low as 18 kV?

Yep

 

[swt_passenger]

The BBC article says the fire broke out on Scrubs Lane, the B Road which crosses the line via bridge, not the towpath as some have been speculating.

That’s the BBC’s error then. The photos in post #54 show exactly where the fire was, and there’s little damage either side, it’s about 500m from Scrubs Lane.

But the BBC probably want a street name for the article to mean anything to ‘average readers’, and Scrubs Lane bridge might be the nearest place the fire brigade could get access to the towpath?

 

[Taunton]

In that case I no longer agree with the decisions they’ve taken to slash the service so heavily. Given that we’re now back in full commuter mode after the summer lull, GWR semi-fasts should be allowed to run (even if only during peak hours on Tu/We/Th), and Crossrail full service, before IETs go back to drawing any limited power that’s available. It’s been chaos for passengers today.

Worse today, Thursday morning, as the M4 motorway has been completely closed between Reading and Maidenhead by a serious accident.

 

[CarltonA]

Worse today, Thursday morning, as the M4 motorway has been completely closed between Reading and Maidenhead by a serious accident.

That, and a shambles at Heathrow due to ATC issues. A bad few days for transport in the Thames Valley area.

 

[westcoaster]

Does anyone know why HEX are running slow lines both ways, is it still not enough power in the OHLE.

 

[800301]

Does anyone know why HEX are running slow lines both ways, is it still not enough power in the OHLE.

So if the ole trips out, it’s not an all lines blocked incident as the 800’s can go back to diesel, if it were to trip out or an emergency switch off given, everything from Didcot to Pad and out to Newbury would be taken out at the moment

 

[westcoaster]

Ok thank you

 

[800301]

As of 10am, Restriction for all Bi-mode trains to run in Diesel between Pad and Reading UFN

 

[MasterPhillips]

A number of GWR IET operated services are making extra stops at Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough during peak time to compensate for the reduced Elizabeth line and GWR 387 operated services.