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Sadiq Khan’s creaking £19billion Elizabeth line suffered extreme delays and cancellations but once more at this time – after a hellish night time for commuters trapped in the dead of night for 4 hours who in contrast it to London within the Blitz.
Two folks had been injured when hundreds of passengers together with James Blunt and Rachel Riley had been caught on packed trains within the night rush hour with out energy.
Teams had been compelled to smash their manner out and stroll down freezing railway tracks in the dead of night after being trapped amid chaos following injury to overhead cables.
Mikey Worrall posted footage of passengers in the dead of night and mentioned they had been opening up the doorways to get onto the road, including: ‘The Mayor of London must kind it out.’
He mentioned the practice lurched to a cease earlier than a multiple-hour wait in semi-darkness as the motive force drip-fed what little info they needed to passengers.
Finally, the battery backup working the heating and lighting ran out, and people on board had been left in darkness for an additional hour and a half till the evacuation got here.
Mr Worrall added: ‘Each day, it is a completely different excuse. It appears to me they opened this complete factor with out truly being match for goal. In the event that they knew there have been infrastructure points that they wanted to work on, why did not they work on these earlier than? They opened the road and it would not work. It (goes down) a number of occasions per week, and it is extremely irritating.’
And there have been extra issues this morning amid large questions for Mr Khan concerning the Elizabeth line’s reliability after MailOnline revealed it had the sharpest enhance in cancellations of any UK rail route within the newest quarter in comparison with final yr.
Nice Western Railway providers and the Heathrow Specific, which function on the identical routes in West London, had been additionally working diminished providers this morning.
On the Elizabeth line at this time, there have been extreme delays between Abbey Wooden and Whitechapel in addition to Paddington and Heathrow – with disruption anticipated till a minimum of noon as a result of issues with overhead wires within the Ladbroke Grove space.
Countdown’s Rachel Riley mentioned she was a kind of caught, and posted a selfie on X of her and different passengers smiling on board, captioned: ‘Almost 4 hours after we received on, we’re getting off the Elizabeth line, woohoo!’.
Seemingly additionally amongst these trapped was singer James Blunt, who mentioned: ‘Been caught someplace outdoors Paddington for near 4 hours now. Out of peanuts and wine.’
Individuals climb down onto the tracks after being stranded on an Elizabeth Line practice in semi-darkness for greater than three hours
Passengers begin making the lengthy stroll again within the chilly after their ordeal caught on board the the practice
The facility failure meant the lights went off inside trains whereas the heating was additionally unable to work leaving passengers freezing chilly
Passengers on board one practice on the Elizabeth Line have been caught for greater than two hours ready to be rescued
A video confirmed passengers sitting in a blacked out carriage of the 1837 Paddington service with their faces being lit up by the glow from their cell phones
No trains had been working between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport throughout the night rush hour, with Nationwide Rail and Heathrow Specific providers additionally disrupted, leaving passengers stranded on rail strike day.
These on trains had been made to attend for greater than three hours till police began evacuating carriages, with some passengers resorting to forcing the doorways open and ‘self evacuating’ earlier than emergency providers had arrived.
Footage obtained by MailOnline exhibits passengers carrying heavy suitcases alongside the tracks within the pitch darkish after they disembarked the practice and headed again in direction of Paddington.
Aged folks, youngsters and even the chief government of Community Rail had been amongst these caught on carriages the place temperatures plummeted when the heating stopped working as a result of energy failure.
A mom carrying a new child mentioned a girl fainted on her practice whereas one other passenger claimed folks had been compelled to make use of the tracks, and even their seats, as bogs. Two folks had been handled for minor accidents and discharged on the scene.
The chaos meant some passengers missed their flights that they had booked to see family members for Christmas whereas employees had been unable to get to their shifts as folks took to social media to vent their fury at Transport for London for offering no updates.
After breaking free from trains, folks had been left to attend in large queues for taxis with a view to get house, with nationwide rail strikes leaving many with no different transport choices.
The Elizabeth Line has been suffering from delays because it absolutely opened this yr, and it was revealed in August that it has seen extra cancellations than another railway line.
Nationwide rail, Elizabeth line and Heathrow Specific providers had been all disrupted by the problem, Transport for London mentioned. Transport Secretary Mark Harper mentioned on X: ‘Conscious of a severe incident involving overhead wires outdoors Paddington, with quite a few trains stationary on the tracks.’
There was additional chaos at Paddington with a whole bunch of stranded passengers packed contained in the station ready for taxis house.
TfL apologised for the disruption with engineers mentioned to be working by way of the night time to evaluate the injury.
Passengers have been urged by Community Rail to test earlier than they journey within the morning.
A TfL spokesperson mentioned: ‘We’re sorry that the injury precipitated to Community Rail’s overhead energy traces by one other rail operator’s practice has precipitated important disruption to our Elizabeth line prospects in addition to all practice operators out of London Paddington.
‘We’re working along with response groups throughout companions to get well trains and get everybody house as rapidly as we are able to.
‘Community Rail are working urgently to restore the ability traces and we would encourage all prospects to test earlier than they journey over the following few days whereas they do that.’
Paramedics and a Hazardous Response Staff from the London Ambulance Service had been despatched to the Paddington space the place two folks had been handled for minor accidents.
Photos posted on X, previously often known as Twitter, confirmed passengers standing on packed trains which had been caught on the tracks for greater than an hour.
A distressed mom mentioned her daughter suffers with debilitating anxiousness and had been on board her practice for 3 hours.
She vented her frustration at Transport for London (TfL) for failing to replace her.
‘She [my daughter] suffers with debilitating anxiousness and has poor comprehension, to not point out bladder points which means she wants the john and is freezing chilly,’ she instructed MailOnline.
‘She will not ask for assist. No info is being given. TfL preserve reducing me off on the level of answering and all I would like is info that I can simplify for her.’
One passenger boarded a practice at Acton at 6.41pm which stopped inside 5 minutes and was nonetheless ready to be rescued greater than two hours later.
One other passenger dramatically described it as ‘just like the Fall of Saigon’ and the Elizabeth Line ‘has failed once more simply when passengers wanted it most’.
Dr Bamo Nouri was a kind of caught and mentioned the road had ‘virtually fully blacked out’.
Dr Nouri wrote on X: ‘#Elizabeth line has virtually fully blacked out with a totally loaded set of carriages and lots of standing. No actual or substantial updates, no sense of urgency – been sat for nearly an hour!’
Transport for London expects delays to final for the remainder of the day.
One annoyed commuter mentioned: ‘The Elizabeth Line has failed once more simply when passengers wanted it most. At Paddington there have been outdated people, folks with infants with completely no manner of getting house.
‘It was just like the Fall of Saigon, besides in that case some fortunate folks truly managed to get on the helicopter.’
One eyewitness claimed on X a practice forward had hit some overhead traces, though that is but to be confirmed by TfL.
Whereas one other mentioned a practice driver needed to shout at passengers attempting to get off the practice.
A video confirmed passengers sitting in a blacked out carriage of the 1837 Paddington service with their faces being lit up by the glow from their cell phones.
Passengers left in the dead of night on board a practice as one passenger huddles over their suitcase whereas others are compelled to face
An overhead energy failure to to break wires has left folks stranded on packed carriages on the Elizabeth Line tonight
Voiceover artist Danny Cowan, who has appeared on Channel 4 and Netflix, mentioned some passengers had been attempting to get off the practice
The darkened carriage on a tube practice on the Elizabeth Line the place folks had been standing for 90 minutes
Workplace of Rail and Street information on the cancellations rating by operator from July to September 2023 and the share level (pp) change in contrast with the identical interval final yr
Danny Cowan, a voiceover artist who has appeared on Channel 4 and Netflix, was making his technique to his agent’s Christmas celebration when the practice got here to sudden halt greater than an hour in the past.
He wrote on X the heating had gone off and he was so chilly he may barely assume.
He mentioned: ‘Hey any worry you would possibly get this FREEZING COLD (no heating) Elizabeth Line practice transferring that is been caught outdoors Acton City for over an hour now?
‘The motive force has already needed to shout at passengers who’re attempting to get off. Some info could be good.’
Emma Bentley has been caught between Paddington and Acton for 90 minutes.
She mentioned: ‘The carriages have now misplaced energy, and it appears we could also be strolling house…’
One other stranded passenger was having his persistence examined and wrote: ‘We have now no energy, so cannot transfer! I want a pee – thoughts over matter!’
The disruption is predicted to final till the tip of the day with present delays of 60 minutes.
No trains are calling at stations between Paddington and London Heathrow and Studying whereas the ultimate Heathrow Specific has additionally been cancelled.
In August, the Workplace of Rail and Street figures revealed that there had been extra cancellations on the Elizabeth line than another railway line, and the brand new line has gained a repute for disruption amongst commuters.
One in six of its providers was delayed or cancelled over the summer time and in October it suffered six separate points in simply over 24 hours.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson instructed MailOnline: ‘We had been known as at 7.38pm yesterday to studies of numerous passengers delayed on trains between Paddington and Ladbroke Grove, west London.
‘We despatched quite a few assets to the scene together with an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a quick response automotive, an incident response officer and members of our Hazardous Space Response Staff.
‘We handled two sufferers for minor accidents and discharged them on the scene.’
MailOnline has contacted Transport for London for remark.
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