A DERAILED freight train outside Ealing means trains between Reading and London Paddington are facing cancellations this morning.
Great Western Railway said passengers can use Elizabeth Line services if travelling from Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough, or use South Western Railway services to London Waterloo.
Chiltern Railways are conveying passengers to London Marylebone via Oxford and Banbury in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.
There are also changes to services on GWR services.
Stopping services between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington will only run between Reading and Didcot.
A similar situation is in place for services to Bedwyn or Newbury – these will run to Reading, not London Paddington.
Customers are advised to use GWR high speed services between Reading and London Paddington to complete their journeys.
A note of GWR’s website reads: “We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “At around 6:10am this morning, three wheels of a freight train travelling onto the West Ealing freight line came off the tracks.
“There were no injuries but we closed the adjacent lines to assess that it was safe for trains to pass. One of those lines has now reopened to passenger trains meaning that three out of four lines are open. The fourth remains closed while our teams prepare to start the recovery operation, beginning with the removal of the freight wagons.
“Trains between London Paddington and Reading may be cancelled, delayed or revised while we deal with the incident this morning. Passengers are advised to check their journey with National Rail Enquiries before travelling.”
There will be more disruption over the next three days due to strikes.
The Aslef union strike action will affect Great Western Railway, Chiltern Railways and other train operators on Saturday, April 6, with no trains running between London Paddington and Reading.
A reduced, revised timetable will operate across several train operators.
Only a very limited service will run on the following GWR routes, between 7am and around 7pm.
- Reading and Oxford
- Reading and Basingstoke
- Westbury and Swindon (peak time only)
- Cardiff and Bristol Temple Meads
- Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple
- Plymouth and Gunnislake
- Penzance and St Ives
Due to engineering works, there will be no GWR trains between London Paddington and Reading.
No long-distance services will operate on the GWR network, and strike action will also affect other operators.
