Paddington Chaos: Trespasser Incident Brings London Station to a Standstill During Notting Hill Carnival
Paddington station was plunged into chaos this evening after a trespasser incident brought all lines to a standstill, leaving passengers stranded amidst delays and cancellations. The disruption coincided with the throngs of revellers descending upon west London for the vibrant Notting Hill Carnival.
Pictures from the scene showed vast crowds gathered at the station, with passengers seen waiting on delayed trains. National Rail reported that at least one train was cancelled and two others delayed due to "trespassers on the railway", with journeys between Heathrow Airport and Paddington impacted by up to 30 minutes.
Adding to the travel woes, Great Western Railway announced that trains were running at a reduced speed due to damage to overhead electric wires between Reading and Paddington. These disruptions were expected to last until 7.30pm.
Social media was awash with complaints from frustrated passengers. One individual tweeted: "What is going on at Paddington? No one can hear the announcements just blank boards. The app still says everything is running as normal but clearly not." Another user lamented: "Paddington is going to be HELL! No Lizzy line going central."
The trespasser incident compounded existing travel difficulties associated with the carnival. The Elizabeth Line also experienced significant delays, with no service running between Bond Street and Reading or Heathrow Airport due to an obstruction in the overhead power lines.
Notting Hill Carnival, one of the UK's longest-running street parties, celebrates Caribbean culture with colourful parades, vibrant music, and lively dancing. However, the massive influx of people into Notting Hill and its surrounding areas inevitably strains London's transport network, leading to disruption at nearby Tube stations and road closures.
TfL urged those travelling by Tube to the carnival to use Paddington station and walk the short 20-minute journey to Notting Hill. However, several stations closer to the festival were closed or restricted to exit-only access. Ladbroke Grove was completely closed, while Notting Hill Gate was exit-only between 11am and 6pm for Central line passengers, with the Circle and District line platforms closed for the entire day. Holland Park and Royal Oak stations were also exit-only, closing at 3pm and 6pm respectively. Latimer Road closed at 11.30pm, but might also close intermittently throughout the day. Westbourne Park station was exit-only from 11am and closed at 11.30pm. TfL advised travellers to use alternative stations where possible.
"For the easiest and least-crowded journey to Notting Hill Carnival, customers are advised to take London Underground or Elizabeth line services to Paddington station as the Carnival is only a 20-minute walk away," TfL stated. "The Bakerloo, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, as well as the Elizabeth line offer step-free access, while the District line also serves the station."
Bus services travelling through the carnival were also diverted. TfL operated two carnival route buses to ferry festival goers to and from the event. The 7X bus ran between East Action and Paddington three times an hour between 1pm and 9pm, stopping at all stops before Latymer Upper School Playing Fields and then running as an express service to tube stations. The 36X bus ran every ten minutes from Peckham town centre towards Elgin Avenue between 12pm and 6pm, running as an express service from Vauxhall to the carnival.
A significant number of roads were closed from 6am today until 6am on Tuesday, August 27, in both the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
The disruption extended beyond Notting Hill, with minor delays reported on the Jubilee line, partial closures on the London Overground and Piccadilly line, and a reduced service on the Docklands Light Rail.
The chaos at Paddington station and other travel disruptions served as a stark reminder of the challenges London's transport network faces when dealing with large events, especially during peak hours.
