Chaos in London travel: Rail connections to Euston and Paddington suspended after two people hit by trains

On Thursday, passengers were once again faced with significant disruptions to rail traffic: all connections were cancelled at both London’s Paddington station and Euston station after two people were hit by trains.

Train services at Paddington station were suspended on Thursday morning after a person was hit and killed by a train, Great Western Railway (GWR) said.

Network Rail confirmed on Thursday afternoon that all services to and from Euston station had been suspended while emergency services attended to an incident in Harrow in which a person was struck by a train.

It was said that the disruptions were expected to last throughout the evening.

The National Rail website states: “One person was struck by a train between Wembley Central and Watford Junction. Main lines between these stations are closed while emergency services carry out their work. Lines used by London Overground between London Euston and Watford Junction have now reopened.”

“There may be train cancellations, significant delays of up to 180 minutes or diversions.

“Significant disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

The British Transport Police (BTP) said it received a report of an incident near Iver station in Buckinghamshire at around 7.15am, affecting traffic to and from Paddington.

Following the incident in the Slough area, all tracks at Britain’s second-busiest railway station were closed, causing significant disruption to Great Western Railway (GWR), Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express services.

Some lines were already open again at 10:00 a.m., but delays and cancellations continued.

In an update after midday, GWR said disruptions were expected until at least 3pm and that there could be cancellations, delays of up to 60 minutes or changes to train services.

Just before 5.30pm, National Rail said on X: “The disruption caused by emergency services containing an incident between Reading and London Paddington has now ended.” Photos taken at 10.25am show large crowds of passengers at Paddington waiting for information, while departure boards reading “Please enquire” were posted next to all trains.

A BTP spokesman said: “Officers were called to the line near Iver station at around 7.15am today following a report of a casualty on the tracks.

“Paramedics were also on site, but unfortunately one person was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

“The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be opened for the coroner.”

GWR said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce that a person has been struck by a train, resulting in the closure of all routes.

“It is necessary to bring all trains in the affected area to a standstill immediately.”

London’s Paddington station reopened on Thursday after being closed for four consecutive days for construction work. In previous weeks, the station had been repeatedly affected by infrastructure disruptions.

This happened as the effects of Storm Gerrit were still affecting rail traffic on Thursday.

There were numerous cancellations and delays on the Scottish rail network. A falling tree hit the driver’s cabin. No one was injured.

ScotRail has suspended several train services until further notice to allow for safety inspections.

Avanti West Coast, which operates trains on the West Coast Main Line, said on Thursday morning that a tree that had fallen on the overhead lines between Rugby and Lichfield Trent Valley had resulted in some lines being blocked. This would increase journey times for trains from London Euston to the north-west as trains were being diverted through the Midlands.

Ferry operator DFDS announced that its sailings between Dover and France are delayed due to strong winds in the Channel. Passengers are asked to check in as usual and will be rebooked on the first available sailing.

Police Scotland confirmed the A9 was fully reopened in both directions and “accessible with caution” after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie in the Highlands.

Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain. The Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recorded 80mm – almost half the usual 178mm of monthly rainfall in December, the Met Office said.

The fastest wind gusts recorded were 86mph at Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire, 84mph at Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands and 83mph at Capel Curig in north Wales, the meteorologist said.

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