More rail disruption today after thousands of passengers were stranded on trains for hours
Commuters are facing more disruption today on services to and from one of the UK’s busiest railway stations, after thousands of passengers were stuck on cold, dark trains for hours.
Damage was caused to overhead electricity wires after a train hit an obstruction outside London Paddington on Thursday night – meaning power had to be switched off.
Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line services were all affected, with National Rail warning disruption will continue until the weekend.
Friday morning commuters were warned their journeys may be delayed by up to 90 minutes and urged to use alternative routes.
It comes on the final day of a wave of strikes by drivers in a long-running dispute over pay.
Members of the ASLEF union on Northern Trains and TransPennine Express are walking out.
Both operators are set to cancel services, and the industrial action could also lead to knock-on disruption on Saturday.
Footage from last night showed people huddled in darkness as young children wailed – and eventually, trains were evacuated with passengers walking along railway tracks to safety.
One passenger said it felt like a “wartime” evacuation.
Passengers after being evacuated from trains at Paddington station in London on Thursday night. Pic: @mikeyworrall1
Pic: @mikeyworrall1
Some reported being stuck for more than three hours while receiving no information from operators.
Singer James Blunt and TV presenter Rachel Riley were among those affected by the disruption.
Engineers worked through the night to get two of the four lines serving Paddington open for electric trains.
A Network Rail spokesman said this morning: “We are so sorry for the difficult journeys passengers endured on our railway last night and we will be investigating how and why it happened.
“The knock-on effects from last night mean operators will not be able to run a full service from Paddington today and passengers should check before they travel.
“Repairs are ongoing and we hope to have the railway fully open by the weekend.”
Commuters were left waiting for hours after the disruption at Paddington
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Mikey Worrall, who was one of those stranded on an Elizabeth line train last night, said it was “the most surreal evening” of his life.
He said: “We saw a couple of workers come past, and they were trying to keep everyone calm. Suddenly, we saw a stream of people coming down the track, and at that point, it was clear that we would be getting off.
“It was really eerie walking down the railway line in amongst this big crowd of people. It felt like a wartime thing.”
Blunt posted on X: “Been stuck somewhere outside Paddington for close to 4 hours now. Out of peanuts and wine”, while Riley wrote: “Nearly 4 hours after we got on, we’re getting off the Elizabeth line, woohoo!”
Stranded passengers on social media described people on their trains “getting agitated” and “kicking doors”.
Some bemoaned a lack of information from drivers and train crew, and reported they were unable to use the toilets.
Others wrote of queues forming for people to be let out one-by-one by the train driver to use the tracks and neighbouring fields to go to the toilet.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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