Heathrow airport train services halted after grass fire causes major disruption

Train services at Heathrow Airport were suspended after a grass fire beside the railway disrupted the electricity supply, causing widespread delays and cancellations.Major disruption warned by National Rail on Saturday late evening after the incident began shortly after 16:00 BST.According to a statement, all lines between London Paddington and Heathrow’s terminals, as well as services towards Reading, were blocked following a failure in the electricity supply caused by the trackside fire.Network Rail Western said late Saturday that the fire had been extinguished, but cautioned that disruption was expected to continue, with some services potentially affected into Sunday morning according to BBC report.The disruption came just hours after a separate grass fire at Heathrow’s airfield forced one of the airport’s runways to close earlier on Saturday.Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blaze near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington, stated by The London Fire Brigade.Great Western Railway cancelled services to Reading, while Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express services between Paddington and Heathrow were suspended on Saturday evening.Heathrow Airport urged passengers to allow extra time for their journeys, warning that the Piccadilly line, which also serves the airport, was experiencing delays.Network Rail Western warned that some services on Sunday morning could face delays and cancellations as trains were left out of position following Saturday’s disruption.Earlier in the day, Heathrow’s southern runway was temporarily closed while firefighters tackled a grass fire on the airport’s airfield.The incident caused some disruption, with at least two flights diverted to other airports. Heathrow apologised to passengers for the inconvenience and said the fire had been brought under control quickly.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.