A brief power outage in central London disrupted Tube services and caused a fire at a Maida Vale substation. Here’s what happened and how it affected commuters.
A brief but significant power outage caused widespread disruption across several London Underground lines on Monday, following a cable fault on the National Grid’s transmission network.
The outage affected the Elizabeth, Bakerloo, Jubilee, and Northern lines, temporarily halting services and leading to a fire at an electrical substation near Cunningham Place and Aberdeen Place in Maida Vale.
According to the London Fire Brigade, firefighters responded swiftly and were able to extinguish the blaze, though the fire destroyed about three metres of high-voltage cable. This marks the second incident at the same substation in recent weeks, though officials confirmed Monday’s fire involved different equipment than the one that occurred on April 29, which had displaced several vulnerable residents.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson explained that the blackout in south-west London lasted only a few minutes but was enough to disrupt train services and trigger safety protocols. “Trains would have stopped immediately, emergency lighting would have kicked in, and some stations were evacuated for safety reasons,” the official said.
At Paddington station, Elizabeth line services were suspended and entrances to the Bakerloo line were closed entirely. Passengers arriving on the Heathrow Express were left frustrated after being advised to use buses to complete their journeys across the city.
Commuters like Alison Hendry and Joseph Richardson, fresh off a flight from Glasgow, expressed disappointment. “It’s a bit annoying they only told us when we got here,” Hendry said, noting their rush to reach Walthamstow in time for a comedy show.
A National Grid spokesperson acknowledged the incident, saying the fault had been resolved “within seconds” but had caused a voltage dip affecting the local power distribution network. They apologized for the inconvenience and confirmed the main electricity supply was not interrupted.
TfL Chief Operating Officer Claire Mann also issued a statement: “We apologise to customers whose journeys were impacted. Our teams are working hard to restore full service as quickly as possible.”
The event underscores the fragility of London’s aging infrastructure and the cascading effects of even short-lived power failures. As always, Danchima Media will continue monitoring this story and bringing you updates on transport safety and urban resilience across the UK capital.
