Great Western Railway said disruption was expected on the London Paddington to Reading line until the end of the day.
A Network Rail spokesperson said the overhead cables affected were in the Ladbroke Grove area.
The spokesperson said: “We’ve had to stop all services while our engineers work as fast as they can to fix the issue. Our teams are also working with train operators to assist people on the trains affected.
Aware of a serious incident involving overhead wires outside Paddington, with a number of trains stationary on the tracks. @transportgovuk is working with @networkrail, train operators & @BTP to help passengers, with teams on the scene.
— Mark Harper (@Mark_J_Harper) December 7, 2023
“We’d urge people onboard to follow all the advice from staff while this incident is ongoing.
“Anyone planning to travel tonight should check National Rail Enquiries for the latest on the disruption.”
Some passengers reported on social media being stuck for more than two hours in carriages that had power outages.
Another reported the fire brigade were evacuating passengers from the stationary trains.
Musician James Blunt posted on X: “Been stuck somewhere outside Paddington for close to 4 hours now. Out of peanuts and wine.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper also posted on the social media site: “Aware of a serious incident involving overhead wires outside Paddington, with a number of trains stationary on the tracks.”
National rail, Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express services were all disrupted by the issue, Transport for London said.
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