Passengers faced hours of travel disruption travelling to and from Heathrow airport after a burst pipe halted train services on Saturday.
Transport for London (TfL) said there were no services on the Elizabeth Line between Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow due to a signal failure caused by flooding at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 after 6am this morning. The Heathrow Express was also affected.
Services restarted shortly after midday after Heathrow’s infrastructure maintenance teams isolated the leaking water pipe, allowing trains to run again.
Heathrow airport said: “Services are now starting to resume on the Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express. Please allow extra time when travelling due to the earlier incident. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
A Network Rail spokesperson warned there may still be delays as trains could still be cancelled or revised.
“While we work to restore the timetable, trains may still be cancelled or revised. Passengers are therefore advised to check National Rail Enquiries for the latest travel information.”
There remains no Piccadilly line service to the airport due to planned engineering works, with rail replacement services in place.
Heathrow airport is the busiest airport in the UK and Europe. Just last year it recorded its busiest-ever day, with more than a quarter of a million passengers passing through its four terminals on 1 August.
Customers hoping to travel abroad on the half-term weekend found their plans disrupted, with passengers reporting on social media that they had to get Ubers or minicabs in order to make the journey to Heathrow.
One person posted on X: “At 6.30 we were luckily enough to get Lizzy line to terminal 2 but over an hour wait for a shuttle bus to terminal 5. Chaos there. No info. Ubers £92 between terminals and no extra buses. Took 3 hours from Highbury tube to airport.”
Another person added: “The airport has someone who can post on social media, but the communication at the airport itself was not the least bit helpful. I eventually managed to get a minicab via uber, and am now on the M25 on the way to Suffolk!”
A TfL status update for the Elizabeth Line on Saturday afternoon warned that “minor delays” remained between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow airport due to earlier signal failure.
