A fire near Heathrow Airport has caused significant travel disruption during the Wednesday morning rush hour, forcing the closure of a key station and impacting services between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals. Delays are expected to persist until at least noon.
Incident Details
The blaze broke out near Heathrow Airport early this morning, halting travel and bringing parts of the transport network to a standstill. Commuters faced severe delays on routes between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals.
National Rail announced on social media:
“NEW: A fire in the Heathrow area means trains are currently unable to call at #HeathrowTerminals.”
Service Update
By 8:12 am, National Rail confirmed that lines had reopened after the fire near the tracks between Heathrow Terminals and London Paddington. However, it warned that residual delays of up to 30 minutes and potential cancellations may still affect journeys as services recover.
Alternative Travel Arrangements
To mitigate the disruption, National Rail has announced the following ticket acceptances at no extra cost:
- Elizabeth Line Tickets: Accepted on the London Underground Piccadilly line, local buses between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Reading, and South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Reading.
- Heathrow Express Tickets: Accepted on local buses between Hayes & Harlington and London.
Impact on Passengers
Many commuters expressed frustration on social media as they faced delays in getting to and from the airport. Heathrow Airport itself has not yet issued a statement regarding the incident.
Related Incidents
This fire incident follows a separate tragic traffic collision near Heathrow in Feltham, which claimed three lives and involved a bus crashing into a car on a railway bridge. The collision also caused a fire and added to the travel chaos around the airport.
Public Advisory
Passengers planning to travel through Heathrow Airport today are advised to check their journey status before setting off, as further delays and cancellations are possible. National Rail is urging commuters to use alternative routes where possible and to allow extra travel time.
Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
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