Tens of thousands of commuters today faced chaos on train services into one of London’s busiest stations after a huge fire sparked disruption.
Network Rail said many trains into London Euston would not run "all day" as engineers undertook important repair work following the trackside blaze in Harrow.
A spokesman said: "A fire overnight at a timber yard in Harrow has damaged a trackside retaining wall. It will need to be dismantled, made safe and rebuilt.
"This is a big job expected to take all day. The West Coast main line will remain shut between Euston and Milton Keynes while these repairs are made."
Services run by Virgin Trains and London Midland on the West Coast main line and West London line were suspended.
London Overground trains between Watford Junction and Euston continued to run but were expected to be extremely busy.
Fire broke out at a factory in Chantry Place, Harrow, late on Thursday night, with 50 firefighters battling through the night to extinguish the blaze.
Dozens of concerned residents, many of whom were later evacuated, called 999 after spotting the flames and huge plumes of smoke, while social media users reported hearing explosions.
London Fire Brigade Station Manager Jason Jones, who was at the scene, said: “We had a very well developed fire which was extremely visible from quite a way out.
“There were propane cylinders involved so a hazard zone was set up as cylinders can explode when exposed to heat.
“The site is next to Headstone Lane train station and trains were stopped."
Around 150,000 passengers typically use London Euston station on a Friday.
But amid the disruption the rail hub was unusually quiet as commuters battled into work by alternative routes.
