TRAIN services to and from London Paddington have been partially restored after damage to overhead wires prevented travel into the station this morning.
Network Rail has reopened two of the four lines into the station, meaning a minimal service will be in place for the rest of the day between London Paddington and Reading and Heathrow Airport.
No services were running into the railway hub this morning after a test train operated by Hitachi damaged 500m of overhead wires in the Hanwell area last night.
Engineers worked 'round the clock' to clear debris and restore power, enabling operators to move stranded trains blocking the line.
Following overhead line damage some lines have reopened and a reduced service is operating into and out of London Paddington. Please expect delays for the rest of the day. We advise only to travel if necessary.
— GWR Help (@GWRHelp) October 17, 2018
Great Western Railway is urging passengers to check before they travel, with tickets valid to Waterloo via Reading and Marylebone via Oxford.
South Western Railway, Chiltern Railways, Virgin Trains, West Midlands Railway and Transport for Wales are all accepting GWR tickets, while tickets for GWR services today will also be valid tomorrow.
A rail replacement bus service is currently operating between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Extensive damage to 500 metres of overhead electric power lines last night means no trains have been able to run between London Paddington and Reading and Heathrow this morning.
“Engineers have been working round the clock and have manged to clear debris from the damage and restore power so trapped trains that were blocking the line can be moved.
“As a result two lines out of the four that are usually used are now open meaning a minimal service will be in place for the rest of today between London Paddington and Reading and Heathrow."
Passengers travelling from Didcot Parkway can reach Slough on local stopping services, while those embarking at Oxford can take a reduced service to Reading.
The disruption is also affecting services heading west, with some trains to Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central cancelled this morning.
We are currently accepting @GWRHelp tickets on any reasonable route until further notice. This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires on their line, so trains may be busier than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
— Chiltern Railways (@chilternrailway) October 17, 2018
A statement on GWR's website said: "On Tuesday 16 October overhead wires were damaged in the London area.
"This severely disrupted train services between London Paddington and Reading as many trains became stranded owing to the resultant loss of a power supply.
"Owing to the extent of the damage no trains are expected to be able to operate between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington in either direction for much of Wednesday 17th October."
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