The Elizabeth line is running with minor delays across parts of its network this morning after a faulty train broke down at Custom House.
Transport for London says services are being held up between Reading and Whitechapel, between Heathrow Terminals and Whitechapel, and between Abbey Wood and Whitechapel. Passengers using those sections of the line should expect longer journeys and possible cancellations.
The rest of the Elizabeth line is running a good service, according to TfL’s latest update.
Every other London Underground line is currently reporting a good service, so the disruption is contained to the Elizabeth line. Anyone heading into central London from west London, Heathrow or south-east London this morning should check departure boards and TfL’s live status page before setting off — trains are running, but gaps between services are likely to be longer than usual.
There is no confirmed time for the faulty train to be cleared from Custom House, and TfL typically warns that delays can linger for some time even after the affected train has been moved, as services bunch up and timetables recover.
Meanwhile, London Tramlink is suspended between Arena and Elmer’s End, near South Norwood Country Park. South London tram passengers may need to allow extra time or find alternative routes while the suspension continues.
If you are travelling across the capital this morning, it is worth having a backup plan: the M25 is closing at Heathrow this weekend between J14 and J15, and London’s trams face a separate planned closure in East Croydon in November, so the network is under pressure at several points.
Custom House sits on the Abbey Wood branch of the Elizabeth line, where trains run through the Royal Docks towards Woolwich and Abbey Wood, so the breakdown is hitting both the eastern and western ends of the line that pass through it. Passengers at Custom House itself have the Docklands Light Railway as a fallback for journeys into Bank or towards Lewisham, and many stations on the affected branches also have National Rail alternatives.
Travellers heading to Heathrow have the Piccadilly line as an alternative if Elizabeth line services through central London are too disrupted, though it is slower. As always, TfL advises passengers to check live travel information before travelling and to allow extra time for journeys on the affected Elizabeth line branches.
