TfL says the Elizabeth line is “more reliable” as passengers stuck on Paddington trains

Transport for London (TfL) has claimed the Elizabeth line is “more reliable” as improvement work begins. But it comes after passengers found themselves “stuck” on trains near Paddington station yesterday (Wednesday, June 26) following a fault with overhead cables.

Customers faced “chaos” as one person even spoke of “abandoning ship” just off the main London hub due to electrical problems. There was a disruption between Abbey Wood and Heathrow/Reading on the rail line while engineers dealt with problems in the Ladbroke Grove area.

Before the incident, TfL commissioner Andy Lord claimed in a report that there were “improving trends” in the reliability of the network as a program of improvements began. Commission papers for a June 12 meeting said: “Performance in recent periods has been good, with a gradual change in train reliability since the release of a new software update in February.

“The biggest reliability challenge remains Network Rail’s infrastructure in west London, but Network Rail has clear plans for improvement works which are starting to show improvement trends. This remains a key objective for all parties working to deliver the overall Elizabeth Line service. .”

READ MORE: Experts working on Elizabeth line change as new station readies for passengers

£140m Elizabeth Line upgrade programme

Mr Lord added: “The latest software update to the signaling system went live on 2 June 2024. We also hosted the International Suburban Rail Benchmarking Group conference in May, where senior representatives from eight railways from around the world joined the Elizabeth line and the London Overground. in Stratford for three days of knowledge sharing.”

In FebruaryNetwork Rail has announced a £140m ‘accelerated performance improvement plan’ to tackle issues affecting Elizabeth Line west of Paddington. Officials said they were working to “stabilize” the issues that led to the cancellations and delays — including passengers stuck on trains ‘for hours’ in December – will take place over the next six months, including in the Thames Valley.

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