Video: Christmas getaway: passengers struggle to get to Heathrow after Paddington fire delays The fire led to many services being cancelled in and out of Paddington station, forcing travellers to find alternative routes on one of the busiest days of the year. Network Rail said the fire damage was so extensive it has had to rebuild the equipment room from the ground up. No trains were running between Paddington and Heathrow Airport, putting extra pressure on the Tube network. One passenger, who was heading to Denver for Christmas said she regretted having chosen to travel to the airport by train: "We thought about getting a car to the airport but we thought, 'no, the Heathrow Express is only 15 minutes,' so we just got a cab to Paddington - we should have got a car to Heathrow."