Heathrow rail services halted after water main burst floods

Travel to and from London Heathrow Airport was severely disrupted after a burst water main flooded the signalling system, halting all mainline rail services for several hours. The incident, which occurred near the airport, led to the suspension of the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line services, compounding existing planned engineering works that had already closed a section of the Piccadilly line.

National Rail confirmed the flooding blocked all lines and submerged signalling equipment between Paddington and Heathrow. Authorities stated that all lines had since reopened, but significant disruption was expected to continue into the afternoon. Rail replacement bus services were activated to transport passengers between Hayes & Harlington station and the airport terminals.

Heathrow Airport issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience and advised travelers to allow extra time and consider bus or coach options. The airport confirmed there were no rail services operating to or from its terminals during the outage.

The disruption caused considerable difficulty for passengers, with many reporting long queues for buses and a lack of clear information at the airport. One traveler...