Paddington train services disrupted for third day in a row after 'infrastructure failure'

Train services at the UK’s second busiest station have been disrupted for the third day in a row after another infrastructure failure on a route beset by problems.

Many Great Western Railway (GWR) and Elizabeth line services to and from Paddington are being cancelled or delayed because of a broken rail in Slough, Berkshire.

Disruption is expected to continue throughout Tuesday as fewer trains than normal are able to run on some lines.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail, which is responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure, said: “Due to a broken rail in the Slough area, services between London Paddington and Reading will be subject to delays and possible cancellations for the rest of the day.

“We apologise to customers for the disruption this will cause to their journeys and ask that they check before they travel.”

Engineers will replace the track when services stop running in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Great Western Main Line – which runs to and from Paddington – has suffered many problems in recent months.

On Sunday, damage to the overhead electric wires caused disruption.

A day later, speed restrictions were imposed due to a broken rail crossing, which is used to transfer trains from one line to another.

Thousands of passengers were stranded on trains for several hours on December 7 because of a problem with overhead wires.

Four damaged rails were discovered within eight days in November.

An investigation into the performance of the route was launched by the Office of Rail and Road in the same month.

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