A trackside fire that took place over the weekend is expected to cause havoc all day for commuters on the Elizabeth line.

Vital electrical equipment was damaged in the blaze on Saturday, also affecting journeys on Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express today.

Elizabeth line trains will not run up to Heathrow Terminal T5, while GWR trains will skip Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford.

Meanwhile, the Heathrow Express between London Paddington and the airport will run at a reduced frequency.

Footage shows bundles of trackside cable badly damaged by a fire, with smoke rising from the remains on Saturday.

Frustrated commuters took to social media after being caught up in the delays this morning.

A passenger on a GWR train to Paddington said everyone was told to get off at Maidenhead and take an Elizabeth line service instead, before being told to disembark again as the disruption affected both services.

National Rail said: ‘Following an incident on Saturday, where some electrical distribution equipment was damaged in a fire, there are significant effects on train services as a result.’

A free shuttle transfer will operate between Heathrow terminals, but journeys could take longer than usual.

The stretch between Reading and Hayes and Harlington is seeing severe delays because of an incident at Kensal Green.

Transport for London said the disruption was due to ‘vandalism.’

Elsewhere, the Central line has been hit by rush hour delays across the entire line.

This is because of a signal failure at Liverpool Street, which is being fixed, the latest TfL status update says.

Metro approached the London Fire Brigade for a comment.

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