Disruption between Watford Junction / Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction expected until 07:30 

Route(s) affected

London Overground between Stratford / Willesden Junction / Shepherds Bush and Clapham Junction

Southern between Watford Junction and Clapham Junction / Selhurst / East Croydon

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Watford Junction / Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction means that lines are blocked.

Trains operating between these stations will be cancelled or revised.

This is expected until 07:30.

London Overground customer advice:

Some services will be diverted to Richmond.

Your ticket can be used on London Buses via any reasonable route, at no extra cost, in order to complete your journey.

Southern customer advice:

Trains are unable to run between Watford Junction and Shepherds Bush. This is due to a signal failure in the Mitre Junction area. If you require stations between Watford Junction and Shepherds Bush, you will need to use an alternative route.

Services between Clapham Junction and Shepherds Bush will likely be busier than normal, as only Southern services are currently running on this route.

The following stations will not be served by Southern services at this time:

• Wembley Central

• Harrow & Wealdstone

• Watford Junction

Make sure you leave at least an additional 30 minutes to complete your journey.

Service alterations:

The following service changes are expected:

• Trains that usually run between East Croydon and Watford Junction will run between East Croydon and Shepherds Bush. If you require stations between Shepherds Bush and Watford Junction you will need to use London buses. You can use your existing ticket on these services at no extra cost

Please ensure to check before you travel using our online journey planners and live departure boards for the latest information.

Planning your journey:

For help planning your journey, check live departure boards, view a live network map or see alternative route guides.

If you’re travelling within London, you can use the TfL Journey Planner.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A fault with a signal system is affecting trains on the route between Watford Junction and Shepherds Bush.

Signals tell train drivers when it’s safe to continue into the next section of track. The signalling system will show a green light when the track is clear for a long distance ahead, and drivers will then be shown one or two yellow lights to warn them when they are approaching a red signal. This means that they can anticipate the amount of braking that's required to stop before they reach another train or any form of problem on the line.

If a signal develops a fault, it may be unable to show the normal sequence of coloured lights. The signalling system is designed to keep trains safe when this happens, so the affected signal will show a more restrictive indication. Drivers may need to stop and get permission from the signaller before continuing, or travel at a reduced speed through the affected area.

These additional safety measures mean journeys through the area take longer and can cause trains to queue behind one another. In severe cases, services may need to be cancelled, revised or diverted to prevent delays from building up across the wider network.

Network Rail signalling specialists are investigating the fault and will work to repair the affected equipment. Once the fault has been fixed and the signalling system is working normally, trains will be able to run as usual and the scheduled service can begin to recover.

Ticket flexibility:

If your train is cancelled, you will be able to travel on an alternative service operated by any other participating train company, either two hours before or two hours after the original departure time of the cancelled service, in order to reach your destination.

If you decide not to travel or cannot complete your journey due to cancellations, you are entitled to a full refund from your original point of sale.

For further information and guidance please contact your train company or speak to a member of railway staff.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail real-time Journey Planner.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.