District and Elizabeth line: severe delays in west London and to Heathrow

Thursday morning, 8 October: two lines are in severe delays and both hit west London — the District and the Elizabeth line. The rest of the Tube, DLR and Overground are running normally.

This morning: what to avoid

District line — severe delays between Earl's Court and Ealing Broadway, Richmond and Kensington (Olympia), and between Edgware Road and Wimbledon, caused by train cancellations. The rest of the line is fine. For Ealing Broadway take the Central line instead; it is running normally. For Richmond, the Mildmay line (the former North London line) via Gunnersbury or South Western Railway from Waterloo will be quicker. Mildmay also serves Kensington (Olympia). Between Hammersmith, Earl's Court and Acton Town the Piccadilly line shadows the District and has no problems today.

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Elizabeth line — severe delays between Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading while TfL fixes a signal failure in the Paddington area. East of Paddington, towards Abbey Wood and Shenfield, service is normal. Heading to Heathrow, allow an extra hour and take the Piccadilly line: it serves every terminal and is running today. Heathrow Express uses the same Paddington tracks, so do not count on it.

Croydon trams — minor delays after engineering work finished late. The 3-7 October part closure has been lifted.

TfL has announced no ticket acceptance by other operators today, so normal fares apply on National Rail routes.

Tonight and the way home

After 23:15 tonight the Windrush line (the former East London line) closes between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction / Battersea Park. No replacement buses run at all — use ordinary London buses and the Tube. If your evening runs late there, leave earlier.

On the Mildmay line the 22:29 Stratford to Richmond train terminates at Camden Road at 22:49. This is the fourth and final evening of that restriction.

Bigger work is already booked for the weekend of 10-11 October. The Circle line will not run between Edgware Road and Aldgate via Victoria. The District will be closed between Edgware Road / Tower Hill and Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia), Richmond and Wimbledon, with replacement buses and the Mildmay line between Gunnersbury, Kew Gardens and Richmond. The DLR shuts between Stratford International and Woolwich Arsenal with no replacement buses: use the Elizabeth line for Woolwich.

What to do

If you are heading west or to the airport, leave 30-60 minutes earlier than usual. If you switch to the car, forecourt prices are in our fuel roundup. The full list of October closures is in our guide to TfL October works.

The picture changes during the peak, so before you leave it is worth checking line status right now: live TfL data, refreshed every two minutes. This brief reflects the network at 06:50 London time.