Holidaymakers heading to Heathrow on Monday faced travel chaos as three major rail routes to the airport were suspended.
There were delays on the Elizabeth line between Paddington and Heathrow Terminals Two, Three and Four, although this had been fixed by Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, there was no service was running on the line from T4 to T5. TfL said this was due to a signal fault.
The Piccadilly line was severely delayed on the whole line due to a fire alert at Northfields Tube.
Meanwhile, services on the Heathrow Express were delayed or cancelled due to a broken down train.
Frustrated commuters vented their anger on social media, with some reporting they had missed flights as a result.
One said in a message to TfL and Heathrow Express: “Why are both of your services so terrible that the Express & Elizabeth line have problems to Heathrow on the same day!!
“You have already made me miss 1 flight due to delays and now may/may not make the one I had to rebook!!! RIDICULOUS!!”
A second said in response to Heathrow Express: “I’ve just missed my flight and had to rebook at a cost of £350 due to your lack of communication or efficiency.”
A third added: “Now the Piccadilly is closed to Heathrow for a fire alert… what on earth should people do who need to get to the airport?”
The Heathrow Express has advised affected customers that they may be able to claim compensation for the delays.
In a message to one customer, the train company said: “The trains are now moving, but with delays occurring.
“We apologise for any disruption this has caused or may cause. You may be able to claim a refund due to the delays you have experienced.”
Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe, and the fourth-busiest airport in the world.
The travel chaos comes after a weekend of disruption with no Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express trains to the airport on Saturday or Sunday because of planned engineering works.
