Daijiworld Media Network - London

London, May 12: A brief yet widespread power outage in south-west London on Monday afternoon led to major disruption across the London Underground, suspending multiple lines and throwing the city’s transport system into chaos.

According to Transport for London (TfL), the sudden outage—believed to be linked to a National Grid issue—lasted only a few minutes but caused severe ripple effects. The Bakerloo and Suffragette lines were completely suspended, while the Elizabeth, Jubilee, and Northern lines suffered heavy delays and partial shutdowns.

“When the power goes out, the trains will have stopped, obviously,” a TfL spokesperson told the PA news agency, explaining that while emergency backup power kept stations partially lit, safety concerns required the evacuation and closure of some facilities.

Scenes at key stations like Paddington were marked by confusion and frustration. Passengers, many with luggage, were redirected to buses as TfL staff shut down certain entry points, including the Bakerloo line entrance. “It’s been about an hour and a half now. We can’t say when it will be fixed,” said one station staff member.

Despite the Underground chaos, London Overground services remained unaffected. Restoration efforts were underway late into the evening, while officials sought clarification from the National Grid on the cause of the unexpected blackout.