Overnight fault shuts Paddington–Heathrow lines; two separate incidents this year have hit same corridor

An estate instrument tracking rail disruption flagged major problems overnight on the Elizabeth line and Great Western Railway network between London Paddington, Heathrow Airport and Reading, with disruption expected to last until 07:00. The trigger named services affected as Elizabeth line trains between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4, Maidenhead and Reading, and between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5, alongside all GWR routes to and from Paddington. The specific cause of this latest overnight closure is not established in the material gathered for this piece — none of the sources fetched describe an incident with a 07:00 resolution time. What the sources do show is that this corridor has been repeatedly and severely disrupted in recent months, which is worth flagging to you given the pattern. According to [1], a grass fire near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington on a Saturday afternoon triggered an electricity supply failure that blocked all lines between Paddington and Heathrow. London Fire Brigade sent six engines and about 40 crew to the blaze, which was reported just after 4.10pm, according to [1]. The Heathrow Express suspended services in both directions for the rest of that evening, and GWR warned of disruption until end of day, according to [1]. TfL confirmed 380 passengers were evacuated from a stranded Elizabeth line train by fire crews and TfL staff, according to [1]. Passengers heading to Heathrow were told to use the Piccadilly line or buses instead, according to [1], though the Piccadilly line was itself facing delays from an unrelated trespasser incident at Hammersmith, according to [1]. Separately, according to [2], a person died after being found on the tracks at Hanwell station on a Monday morning, with British Transport Police confirming officers were called around 11am to "reports of a casualty on the tracks" and that the person was pronounced dead at the scene. BTP said the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will go to the coroner, according to [2]. That incident caused severe delays on the Paddington to Heathrow/Reading route lasting into the afternoon, with disruption expected until 4pm, according to [2]. National Rail confirmed lines between Paddington and Southall reopened once emergency services completed their work, according to [2]. In both prior cases, passengers were told they could use Elizabeth line tickets at no extra cost on alternative services including the London Underground, DLR, buses, and in the Hanwell case, on Great Western Railway, Southeastern, South Western Railway and Thameslink for certain routes, according to [2]. In the Saturday fire case, GWR similarly said Saturday tickets would be honoured for Sunday travel at no extra cost, according to [1]. None of the material fetched confirms whether last night's overnight closure was linked to either of these prior incidents, a new fault, or planned engineering works — that detail is unconfirmed pending further reporting. Given the repeated severity of disruption on this specific corridor this year, it may be worth building in contingency time for any journey through Paddington to Heathrow or Reading until National Rail confirms the line is clear. What to watch next: confirmation from National Rail or TfL of the specific cause of last night's closure and whether the 07:00 restoration target was met.