Glastonbury Festival fans traveling to Somerset endured travel chaos from London Paddington today after all lines were blocked due to a track fatality.
A person has died in West Ealing, west London, leading to mass cancellations on the Elizabeth, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services.
Those traveling to Glastonbury use Paddington to get to Castle Cary station, while commuters into the capital for work have also been affected by the disruption.
There was no Elizabeth service between Paddington and Reading or Heathrow Airport, and cancellations or delays of up to an hour were expected by 1pm.
The first National Rail travel update said the delay was due to a person being “hit by a train”, but MailOnline has since learned that was not the case.
And a witness in West Ealing told MailOnline that the footbridge over the line, known locally as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, was closed by police while they investigated.
British Transport Police later confirmed that its officers were called to the scene at around 7.30am today following “reports of a casualty on the tracks”. The force said paramedics were also at the scene but “sadly the person was pronounced dead at the scene”.
Dozens of people sat on the floor at Paddington near the boarding area for the Castle Cary service, with the 8.38am departure for the station among the canceled trains.
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Hannah Yates, 28, from north London, who was booked onto the train with four friends, said: “I went up to (a member of staff) and they said there’s been a fatality on the line and I have to wait 45 minutes so we’re waiting for further notice.
“It’s frustrating, I would say. This has been a pretty stressful day already, so this adds to it.’
Another festival-goer, who was called Zac, said: “We took the Elizabeth line here and they canceled the Elizabeth line at Heathrow so we were suspicious.
“We’re still looking forward to it – a few hours won’t change the whole weekend.”
Ian Mansfield, who runs the popular culture and transport website IanVisits, tweeted: “Major delays on the Elizabeth line due to fatal accident on the tracks at Paddington.
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“When there was only one train going through Woolwich, it was a bit Last Flight From Saigon on the platform when the train pulled in.”
Another commuter said on X: “Stuck at Maidenhead, all trains from Maidenhead to Reading are canceled until midday at the moment due to the incident at West Ealing.”
And passenger Filippo Spiga said he heard an announcement: ‘No trains leaving London Paddington, all passengers should return to the concourse.’
A spokesman for British Transport Police told MailOnline: ‘Officers were called to the line near West Ealing at around 7.30am today following reports of an accident on the tracks.
“Paramedics also arrived, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’
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GWR trains were affected on all routes, including Didcot, Oxford, Hereford, Cheltenham, Worcester, Cardiff, Swansea, Bedwyn, Bristol, Taunton, Plymouth, Paignton and Newquay and Penzance – as well as the West Ealing to Greenford line.
Those affected by delays on the Elizabeth line have been advised to use the Docklands Light Railway, the Tube or London Buses by a reasonable route instead.
Passengers were also told to use Southeastern trains between Abbey Wood and London terminals or South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Reading and Thameslink between Abbey Wood and Farringdon.
GWR accepted tickets with CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways between Marylebone and Oxford and South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Reading, Windsor and Eton Riverside and Basingstoke.
Tickets were also accepted on Stagecoach buses between Swindon and Trowbridge, Cheltenham, Chippenham and Oxford.
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A spokeswoman for Network Rail told MailOnline: ‘Train services in and out of London Paddington have been disrupted this morning while emergency services deal with an incident in the West Ealing area.
“All lines are now back open but there will be further disruption as we work to restore the service. Trains may be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.
“Passengers are advised to check with their train operator or National Rail Inquiries before travelling.”
Thousands of fans are now flocking to Glastonbury after yesterday’s official launch, although the main stages at Worthy Farm won’t open until tomorrow.
Pop singer Dua Lipa will headline the Pyramid Stage tomorrow, before rock band Coldplay and soul singer SZA take to the famous stage on Saturday and Sunday.
Canadian country star Shania Twain will play the coveted Legends slot on Sunday afternoon.
Hundreds of musicians will also take to various smaller stages across the site today, hosting acts including singer and DJ Shygirl and electronic musician Joy Orbison, who will both appear on the Levels dance floor.
GWR said earlier this month that it plans to provide festival-goers with more than 28,600 seats on trains from Paddington to Castle Cary between yesterday and tomorrow.
It warned that today’s early and morning trains are almost fully booked.
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