Train travellers into Paddington face further disruption after Queen’s funeral

theguardian.com:

The disruption to train services that caused thousands of mourners to miss the Queen’s funeral will continue until noon on Tuesday, passengers have been advised.

Network Rail said work to fix damaged overhead electric wires affecting services at Paddington, west London, was ongoing.

The problem near Hayes and Harlington station caused all lines to and from Paddington to be blocked from 6.30am on Monday, causing severe disruption for people travelling to London and Windsor in Berkshire.

Services run by GWR, Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line continue to be affected by the disruption.

In an update issued on Tuesday morning, National Rail Enquiries said: “No trains are able to run between Heathrow airport/West Drayton and London Paddington. We anticipate disruption will continue until 12pm. Passengers are strongly advised only to travel if necessary and to please check before you travel.”

A Network Rail spokesperson apologised for the disruption. He added: “We are working hard to get services running as soon as possible.”

The disruption meant that many people hoping to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday were unable to do so, and had to resort to watching the events on their phones.

In Berkshire, there were long queues of people at Reading station trying to get on to services into London and others finding their trains cancelled or delayed as they tried to travel farther west.

Station staff were reportedly trying to order taxis for passengers who lived farther afield and risked becoming stuck at the station overnight, amid a limited number of departing trains.

One woman, who was visibly distressed by the disruption and the prospect of getting stuck hours from home on her own overnight, said her journey in and out of London on