Broken rail and shortage of signalling staff cause major train disruption

A broken rail and shortage of signalling staff has caused major disruption to train services between London and both Heathrow Airport and Reading.

Passenger information website National Rail Enquiries warned Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services are affected.

Trains were initially unable to run between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington.

The route was later reopened for Heathrow Express but with a reduced service.

Elizabeth line services to Heathrow remain suspended and trains between Paddington and Reading are subject to cancellation or delay.

Disruption is expected to continue until the end of Tuesday.

Network Rail engineers discovered the broken rail on the high-speed line towards Paddington from Slough/Heathrow, which has limited train speeds and caused delays.

Network Rail said it will monitor the broken rail throughout the day “to ensure trains continue to travel safely” until it can be replaced.

It also apologised to passengers for the disruption.

A member of signalling staff being unwell caused further delays but a replacement staff member was found.