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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| Paddington rail disruption to Christmas getaway | Paddington rail disruption to Christmas getaway |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Passengers travelling to and from London's Paddington station have been hit by delays and cancellations. | Passengers travelling to and from London's Paddington station have been hit by delays and cancellations. |
| Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express services to the airport were suspended while many First Great Western services have been cancelled or delayed. | |
| A fire near Acton, west London, on Thursday damaged line-side equipment, closing two of the four lines. | |
| Friday was due to be the busiest day of the year for road, rail and air travel as people begin their festive getaway. | |
| Tube delays | Tube delays |
| According to Network Rail, a fire in an equipment room next to the track in west London on Thursday morning meant only two of the four lines were operating on Friday morning. | |
| Network Rail said the fire damage was so extensive it has had to rebuild the equipment room from the ground up but it said it soon hoped to have all lines reopened. | Network Rail said the fire damage was so extensive it has had to rebuild the equipment room from the ground up but it said it soon hoped to have all lines reopened. |
| First Great Western spokesman James Davis said: "We have reduced the number of services by about half and trains are running with about a 20-30 minute delay as they have to slow down near Slough and Southall. | |
| "Network Rail has told us the problem will be fixed by about 15:00 GMT and while all four lines may reopen, due to trains being in the wrong place things will not return to normal for some time." | |
| During the morning the reduced service put extra pressure on the Tube network. | |
| There were severe delays on the Bakerloo line and minor delays on the Jubilee line due to a signalling systems failure. | |
| 'Cause mayhem' | 'Cause mayhem' |
| BBC News website reporter Jane Mower travelled to Paddington from Maidenhead. | BBC News website reporter Jane Mower travelled to Paddington from Maidenhead. |
| She said: "It took me almost two hours longer than normal to get home last night and train staff were telling us then that the problem would continue into today. | She said: "It took me almost two hours longer than normal to get home last night and train staff were telling us then that the problem would continue into today. |
| "When I arrived at Maidenhead this morning several trains had been cancelled in both directions and others were delayed and we only had to pay off-peak ticket prices. | "When I arrived at Maidenhead this morning several trains had been cancelled in both directions and others were delayed and we only had to pay off-peak ticket prices. |
| "If this continues for the rest of the day it is going to cause mayhem as everyone tries to get away for the Christmas break." | "If this continues for the rest of the day it is going to cause mayhem as everyone tries to get away for the Christmas break." |
| BBC Berkshire's Patrick O Hagan, at Reading station, said: "If you're heading to Paddington through Berkshire and Oxfordshire you would normally expect around eight trains every half an hour through Reading. | BBC Berkshire's Patrick O Hagan, at Reading station, said: "If you're heading to Paddington through Berkshire and Oxfordshire you would normally expect around eight trains every half an hour through Reading. |
| "There's about half that number and there's been no express services from further west at all." | "There's about half that number and there's been no express services from further west at all." |
| Heathrow Airport said it was expecting 123,000 passengers to depart and 104,000 to arrive. | Heathrow Airport said it was expecting 123,000 passengers to depart and 104,000 to arrive. |
| At Gatwick about 1.5 million people are expected to travel through the airport between 17 December and 2 January. | At Gatwick about 1.5 million people are expected to travel through the airport between 17 December and 2 January. |
| Volunteers from the London 2012 Olympic Games have been drafted in to help passengers at both airports. | Volunteers from the London 2012 Olympic Games have been drafted in to help passengers at both airports. |
| They will be handing out children's packs and giving safety advice. | They will be handing out children's packs and giving safety advice. |
| On the roads, dozens of sets of roadworks have been lifted on major routes but the Highways Agency is urging drivers to check the weather forecast, with heavy rain in much of the country expected to cause more flooding. | On the roads, dozens of sets of roadworks have been lifted on major routes but the Highways Agency is urging drivers to check the weather forecast, with heavy rain in much of the country expected to cause more flooding. |
| Have you been affected by the disruption? Send us your comments using the form below. | Have you been affected by the disruption? Send us your comments using the form below. |
| Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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