Fire near Paddington tracks brings down Heathrow rail links, disruption until 9pm

A fire broke out near a train track close to Scrubs Lane in North Kensington shortly after 4.10pm on Saturday 5 September, triggering a wave of cancellations on routes into and out of London Paddington that stretched into the evening, according to [1] and [2]. London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were sent to what it described as a grass fire, with crews mobilised from Hammersmith, Paddington, Ealing and surrounding stations, according to [2]. The brigade said the blaze had "impacted nearby rail services on the Elizabeth Line and Great Western Main Line into Paddington Railway Station," according to [2]. National Rail said the fire caused a failure of the electricity supply next to the track in the Paddington area, leaving all lines between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals, and between Paddington and Reading, blocked, according to [1] and [2]. A National Rail spokesperson quoted in [2] said trains would be "cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised," with major disruption expected until 9pm. The practical effect for travellers was severe. The Heathrow Express said no trains were running in either direction between Paddington and the airport, according to [1]. Transport for London said the Elizabeth line was suspended between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals 4 and 5, and between Paddington and Reading, with severe delays also hitting the branch to Abbey Wood, according to [1] and [2]. Great Western Railway cancelled services to Reading and said trains on that route might be cancelled, delayed or terminated and restarted from Reading, according to [1] and [2]. Heathrow airport itself advised passengers to build in extra time, noting that the Piccadilly line — an alternative route to the airport — was also running with delays, according to [1] and [2]. That Piccadilly line disruption was compounded by a separate, unrelated incident: TfL said there were severe delays across the entire line owing to an earlier trespasser at Hammersmith, according to [1] and [2]. In effect, two of the main rail and Tube routes to Heathrow were degraded at the same time, for different reasons. Network Rail said the knock-on delays would also affect GWR services between Maidenhead and Marlow, according to [2]. Passengers holding tickets dated Saturday 5 September were told they would remain valid for travel on Sunday 6 September at no extra cost, and that anyone whose train was cancelled could travel on either of the two services before or after their booked departure without additional charge, even on less flexible tickets, according to [2]. Timings across the two sources varied slightly as the incident developed: [1] initially cited disruption expected until 7.15pm, later extended to 7pm for GWR, while [2] reported London Fire Brigade's call-out time as 4.11pm and cited National Rail's own updated guidance of disruption until 9pm. Photographs and social media footage cited in [1] and [2] showed large plumes of smoke over the Paddington area, with the fire visible as far away as Southall, according to [2]. What caused the fire, and whether it has been fully extinguished, is not established in the material provided. Watch for confirmation from London Fire Brigade or Network Rail on the cause and on when normal services resume before Sunday's ticket flexibility arrangement runs out.