London travel news LIVE: Delays ease on M25 near Heathrow Airport as road reopens after fatal crash

A man in his 70s has died after a van and lorry crashed on the M25 near Heathrow Airport, the Met police has confirmed.

Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene on the M25 clockwise at junction 14 around 9.35am.

Paramedics performed CPR on the driver of the van, a man thought to be in his 70s, but he died at the scene, the Met confirmed on Monday afternoon.

The M25 was completely closed clockwise for around four hours following the crash and a diversion was put in place, with traffic tailing back around five miles.

Two lanes reopened around 1.40pm, and the road had fully opened by around 3.15pm.

The driver of the truck did not suffer any serious injuries in the crash, said police. No arrests have been made.

Any witnesses or those with dash cam footage are asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 2484/18MAR.

Alternatively, to remain 100% anonymous please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please follow below for updates on London’s public transport and roads.

Key travel issues to note

No major disruption on reopened M25

Monday 18 March 2024 06:57 , Matt Watts

The M25 in Surrey has reopened eight hours ahead of schedule after the first planned daytime closure of the motorway.

A five-mile stretch between junctions 10 and 11 closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and was due to open at around 6am on Monday.

However, following works to demolish a bridge and install a huge gantry, it reopened at just after 10pm on Sunday.

The National Highways South-East (NHSE) said on X, formerly Twitter: "We'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone for your patience and following our travel advice."

There is no major disruption reported on the motorway on its first morning open after the works.

Minor delays on Piccadilly Line

Monday 18 March 2024 07:00 , Matt Watts

There are minor delays on the Piccadilly line between Acton Town and Uxbridge due to train cancellations., TfL reports.There is a good service on the rest of the line.

Two miles of traffic backing up after M25 crash

Monday 18 March 2024 07:40 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Slow-moving traffic is backing up for around two miles on the M25 anticlockwise in Essex.

The traffic is on the stretch from junction 29 at the A127 (Romford/Basildon) to junction 28, for the A12 (Brentwood/Brook Street Roundabout).

Traffic monitoring system Inrix says it comes after a crash that happened shortly after 6am.

Animals on railway disrupt south-west London trains

Monday 18 March 2024 08:10 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Trains running through Barnes Bridge in south-west London may be cancelled or delayed due to animals on the railway line, says National Rail.

The disruption is expected to last until around 10am.

“Train services need to run at a reduced speed through this area,” said National Rail.

“London Waterloo to Weybridge services will be diverted between Barnes Bridge and Hounslow calling additionally at Richmond and Twickenham.”

Northern Line part-suspended due to broken train

Monday 18 March 2024 08:45 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

There is no Northern Line service between Camden Town and Kennington (via Bank) southbound as TfL fixes a faulty train at Euston.

Disruption caused by animals on line now over

Monday 18 March 2024 09:05 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

TfL says earlier disruption to trains running through Barnes Bridge in south-west London, caused by animals on the railway line, is now over.

Northern Line now running again but with severe delays

Monday 18 March 2024 09:10 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The Northern Line has now reopened following an earlier part-closure, but there are severe delays between Camden Town and Kennington (via Bank) southbound.

Good service restored to all London Underground lines

Monday 18 March 2024 09:42 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The earlier severe delays on the Northern Line are now over, says TfL. There is now reportedly a good service running across all Tube lines.

Crash on M25 near Heathrow Airport closes clockwise carriageway

Monday 18 March 2024 10:12 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

All clockwise lanes of the M25 have been closed near Heathrow Airport following a crash.

The collision happened at junction 14, and traffic is currently said to be tailing back for around three miles.

Live traffic cameras show emergency services are at the scene, while traffic is stationary.

M25 collision described as 'serious multi-vehicle crash'

Monday 18 March 2024 10:30 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The collision that has left all clockwise lanes of the M25 shut near Heathrow Airport is described by traffic monitoring system Inrix as a “serious multi-vehicle crash”.

The road has been blocked since around 9.35am.

A detour is reportedly in operation via the exit and entry slip roads.

Severe delays on Bakerloo Line

Monday 18 March 2024 10:53 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

There are severe delays on the Bakerloo Line between Queen's Park and Harrow & Wealdstone while TfL assists a passenger ill on a train at Queen's Park.

There are minor delays on the rest of the line, as well as minor delays on the Piccadilly Line between Acton Town and Heathrow Terminals.

Delays between London Blackfriars and St Pancras expected until 1pm

Monday 18 March 2024 11:08 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

A track circuit failure is disrupting trains which travel between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International.

National Rail says trains may be delayed by up to 20 minutes. The disruption is due to last until 1pm.

It is affecting services between Three Bridges and Bedford; Brighton and Cambridge/Bedford; Horsham and Peterborough; Rainham and Luton; and Sutton and St Albans.

More than four miles of traffic now queuing on M25

Monday 18 March 2024 11:16 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

The queue of traffic on the clockwise M25 following a crash near Heathrow Airport is now more than four miles long.

Traffic cameras show all five lanes are severely congested almost back to junction 12, following the crash near the Heathrow turn-off at junction 14.

The multi-vehicle crash has closed all lanes clockwise.

Traffic is being diverted via entry and exit slip roads, but National Highways urges drivers to allow “plenty of extra travelling time”.

Drivers warned to expect hour-long delays on M25

Monday 18 March 2024 11:26 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

National Highways is warning drivers to expect delays of around an hour as traffic queues for four miles on the clockwise carriageway near Heathrow, following this morning’s crash.

Details of M25 diversion route confirmed

Monday 18 March 2024 11:42 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Highways England has clarified the exact diversion route that is in place, following the M25’s closure near junction 14.

A spokesperson told the Standard traffic is being diverted off the M25 at junction 14, before joining the roundabout, then rejoining the M25 on the entry slip road.

Heathrow Airport passengers caught in hour-long traffic queue fear missing flights

Monday 18 March 2024 11:51 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Frantic Heathrow passengers say they expect to miss their flights, after being caught up a four-mile queue of traffic tailing back on the M25 near the airport following a multi-vehicle crash.

One user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote at 11.25am: “We are a part of the long M25 standstill entering Heathrow for my parents’ flight LHR-SFO at 1:05pm. It’s not looking likely that traffic will move any time soon.”

Another passenger named Kim Le Geyt wrote how she feared missing her 12.50pm flight from Heathrow to New York. She later said traffic was moving, and that she hoped to arrive just in time for BA’s check-in deadline, which is an hour before departure.

Traffic on M25 now backing up for more than five miles

Monday 18 March 2024 12:09 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Traffic cameras now show more than five miles of traffic backing up on the M25 clockwise, from junction 14 to past junction 12.

It comes as all clockwise lanes remain shut near Heathrow Airport at junction 14, following a serious multi-vehicle crash earlier this morning.

One driver said on Twitter, formerly X, he has been stuck in the congestion for more than an hour-and-a-half.

Severe Bakerloo Line delays now ended

Monday 18 March 2024 12:16 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Severe delays that have been affecting the Bakerloo Line this morning are now over, says TfL.

The disruption was due to both a faulty train and a “customer incident”.

There are still minor delays on the line, as well as on the Piccadilly Line.

Emergency services still at scene of M25 crash

Monday 18 March 2024 12:22 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Traffic cameras show emergency services are still at the scene of a serious multi-vehicle crash that happened on the M25 near junction 14 for Heathrow Airport this morning.

The clockwise carriageway remains totally shut following the crash, which is understood to have happened around 9.35am.

Exact details of the collision have not yet been confirmed, but we have approached the police and ambulance service for more information.

Motorists are being diverted off, and then back onto the M25 using the junction 14 roundabout, but traffic is still tailing back for around five miles.

M25 blocked and nearby motorway congested

Monday 18 March 2024 13:40 , Miriam Burrell

The M25 remains blocked near Heathrow Airport and there are severe delays due to crash investigation work on M25 clockwise at junction 14, according to Inrix.

There is congestion to the M3 at J12, and diverting from J13 via the Crooked Billet and Stanwell Moor Road.

Two lanes of M25 reopen but traffic continues

Monday 18 March 2024 13:41 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Lanes 3 and 4 (of four) have reopened on the M25 clockwise following a crash at junction 14, at Heathrow Airport, National Highways has just confirmed.“Lanes 1 and 2 remain closed at this time,” it adds. “There are four miles of congestion on approach causing 60 min delays above normal travel time.”

All lanes re-open

Monday 18 March 2024 16:05 , Jordan King

All lanes are now open on the M25 clockwise following a crash at junction 14, at Heathrow Airport.

There remains delays of approximately 30 minutes on approach to J14 but these should ease soon.

Good service on all Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth lines and the Tram

Monday 18 March 2024 16:06 , Jordan King

There are no delays on any of these services being reported.

Delays between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International expected until 6.30pm

Monday 18 March 2024 17:50 , Jordan King

A problem currently under investigation between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International means trains are being delayed by up to 10 minutes between these stations.

The following routes are affected:

Between Bedford / Cambridge and Brighton, and between Peterborough and Horsham, and also between Luton and Rainham (Kent), and between St Albans and Sutton, and between Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks, and also between Kentish Town and Orpington

Good night

Monday 18 March 2024 21:53 , Jordan King

That concludes The Evening Standard’s coverage of London travel today.

Check back in with us tomorrow for more.