THOUSANDS of passengers were trapped for several hours after overhead wires came down near Ladbroke Grove, West London, on the evening peak of December 7.
Although the exact cause of the overhead line equipment failure has not yet been determined, seven trains were affected, impacting services on the Elizabeth Line, Heathrow Express and GreatWestern Railway.
On board one of the trains was Andrew Haines, CEO of Network Rail, who was trapped on a train with 980 other passengers (see also story on page 16).Without power, passengers on some of the affected trains were in total darkness and in the cold.Those on Elizabeth Line services also faced the prospect of no toilet facilities.
Many passengers were trapped for up to four hours, while some took a riskier approach, forcing doors open to exit the trains just to go to the toilet, frustrated at the time it was taking for rail staff to come and guide them to safety. Many had been heading into London for Christmas shows or office parties, while others on the Heathrow Express were travelling into the capital from the airport.
Widespread disruption