London Underground: Major power outage causes chaos for commuters as tube lines suspended

• A power outage on the London Underground is causing chaos for commuters.
• The outage is being attributed to a “National Grid issue.”
• Multiple lines have been suspended, leaving commuters stranded.

A significant power outage struck the London Underground network today (Monday, May 12, 2025), causing widespread disruption across the capital's transport system during the afternoon commute. The incident, attributed to a "National Grid issue," led to the suspension of multiple lines and left thousands of commuters stranded.

Transport for London (TfL) reported that the Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines were entirely suspended. The Elizabeth line experienced a suspension between Paddington and Abbey Wood, while the Jubilee line saw no service between London Bridge and Finchley Road.

The Northern line faced no service on its Charing Cross branch and south of Stockwell, though it later resumed with minor delays. The Piccadilly line also reported minor delays.

Several central London stations, including Marble Arch, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, and Embankment, were closed as a safety precaution. At Waterloo station, shutters were down, and passengers were turned away.

Several central London stations, including Marble Arch, Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, and Embankment, were closed as a safety precaution. At Waterloo station, shutters were down, and passengers were turned away.

TfL updates

A TfL spokesperson stated that the outage occurred in south-west London around 2:30pm and lasted "a matter of minutes." However, the brief interruption was sufficient to halt operations across the network.

"When the power goes out, the trains will have stopped, obviously," the spokesperson explained.

"There's emergency power on trains and stations, so everything wouldn't have gone completely black... but the trains would have stopped, and we would have cleared some stations because there's no electricity; it might not necessarily be safe for them to be open."

TfL is working to restore services but has not provided a definitive timeline for full resumption. The TfL website also experienced intermittent issues, further complicating commuters' efforts to obtain real-time updates.

Is the Elizabeth line running today?

The outage caused significant delays and inconvenience for commuters. Passengers at Paddington station were advised to seek alternative routes, with staff directing them away from Elizabeth line services.

Access to Heathrow Airport was also affected, as the Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line, both serving the airport, faced disruptions. The Heathrow Express experienced cancellations, adding to the travel chaos.