Fifth day of rail disruption west of Paddington

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.

All lines between Paddington and Heathrow and Reading were blocked on Saturday, and almost 400 passengers had to be escorted from a train that lost power after overhead cables caught fire.

London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and about 40 firefighters attended.

National Rail said the full electric timetable could not run between Paddington and Reading until repairs were finished, because of the demands it would place on the electrical distribution system.

Elizabeth line trains are running twice an hour to Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Maidenhead and Reading, with some calling additionally at Acton Main Line, Hanwell, Iver, Langley and Taplow.

GWR services are calling at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford on a reduced timetable, and the Heathrow Express is running less frequently. Intercity services are largely unaffected because they can run on diesel through the damaged section.

A statement on GWR's website said the fire had been "due to vandalism of railway equipment".

Transport for London advised passengers to allow more time and to check before travelling. It said train times and frequencies might differ from the usual timetable.

The disruption is expected to last until at least the end of Wednesday.

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