Heathrow Train Services Resume Following Trackside Fire

Train services connecting Heathrow Airport to central London have been restored following a trackside fire that triggered significant travel chaos on Saturday evening. National Rail confirmed that operations between London Paddington, Heathrow’s terminals, and Reading were halted shortly after 16:00 BST due to an electricity supply failure caused by the blaze.

Network Rail reported “major disruption” across the affected lines, resulting in widespread cancellations. Social media imagery captured large crowds of stranded passengers at Paddington station, where departure boards appeared blank as Saturday evening services were cut. Great Western Railway cancelled its Reading route, while neither the Elizabeth line nor the Heathrow Express operated between Paddington and the airport during the incident.

The London Fire Brigade deployed six fire engines and approximately 40 crew members to extinguish the fire near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington. By Sunday morning, rail operators confirmed the fire was out and normal service had resumed, though some Sunday morning journeys faced potential delays or cancellations due to displaced trains.

This incident follows a similar grass fire on Heathrow’s airfield earlier on Saturday, which forced the closure of the southern runway and led to at least two flight diversions. Heathrow Airport apologized for the disruption, noting the fire was tackled quickly. The event comes weeks after another grass fire near the southern runway forced 18 flights to divert and damaged large areas of grassland.

Despite recent cooling weather across the UK following a record-breaking hot summer, emergency crews continue to warn of wildfire risks. The Met Office’s Fire Severity Index indicates “high” severity for potential wildfires across most of south-east England and parts of the Midlands. The index rates the risk as “exceptional”—the highest level—in certain areas of London, including Heathrow, as well as along the Essex and Suffolk coasts.