London mayor Sadiq Khan says he is “deeply concerned” that thousands of rail passengers were stranded for hours on the Elizabeth line and other trains when overhead power cable blocked all lines in and out of Paddington.
About 4,000 travellers had to wait about four hours to be rescued when seven trains – four Elizabeth line, two Heathrow Express and one Great Western Railways intercity service – were brought to a halt near Ladbroke Grove.
Passengers, including parents with young children, were led to safety along the train tracks before many had to make their own way home late on Thursday night last week.
Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord told the TfL board meeting on Wednesday: “The length of time customers spent stranded was not acceptable.”
Network Rail is investigating the root cause of the incident. A preliminary finding is understood to have found that a complex chain of events was to blame.
TfL is leading a separate inquiry into the chaos experienced by passengers, from their welfare on board the trains – the Elizabeth line has no lavatories – to the time taken for them to be rescued, to the amount or lack of help given to help them get home or find hotel rooms.
Aslef members had been on strike on GWR last Thursday. Its Paddington to Cardiff service was its last train out of London last Thursday, resulting in it having more than 900 passengers on board – and meaning westbound Elizabeth line services were also busier than normal.
Aslef said that a strike-breaking train instructor was driving the train. Earlier this week Network Rail said there was “no evidence” that the GWR driver was at fault.
Mr Khan, speaking at the TfL board meeting, revealed he had written to Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines to request a meeting about growing unreliability of Elizabeth line services due to problems with the rail infrastructure west of Paddington.
In a letter to Mr Haines, the mayor said: “Over the last few weeks, the reliability of the Elizabeth line has not been good enough.
“I was deeply concerned by the recent incident on December 7 where several busy trains, including four Elizabeth Line services, were stuck west of Paddington.
“I appreciate this was caused by another operator’s train damaging overhead wires in the Acton area, and as a result, the power had to be turned off by Network Rail, resulting in all lines being blocked in and out of Paddington. Loss of lighting and electricity on trains, a lack of communication, and long waiting times to be evacuated were widely reported.
“Londoners are rightly frustrated by the recent delays, cancellations, and at times, inadequate customer communication.
“I am therefore writing to request a meeting… to ensure we are doing everything possible to resolve the recent reliability issues on the Elizabeth line, and to also look at what we can do to improve customer communications.
“I know that many of the challenges the Elizabeth line is currently experiencing are caused by insufficient investment in rail infrastructure, particularly west of London. I would also like us to consider what more we can do to make the case to the Government to secure additional investment in rail infrastructure and avoid disruption to London’s transport network.”
Mr Haines was among the passengers on the GWR train and subsequently admitted the industry had failed passengers.
A Network Rail spokesperson said on Wednesday: “We share the mayor’s pride in the incredible change the Elizabeth Line has brought to travel in London and we also share his concern about reliability of the service and how we are looking after and caring for our passengers, particularly at times of disruption.
“Huge investment and resources across the capital and its transport providers have gone into making the line the success it is today and we are as determined as the Mayor to see that success continue. We look forward to meeting with him and TfL, and together, working in partnership, to make it better.”
TfL revealed that a new record number of journeys – 769,000 – were made on the Elizabeth line on Wednesday December 6. It has carried 270m passengers since it opened in May 2022.
