Disruption between Luton and London St Pancras International expected until 12:00  

Route(s) affected

East Midlands Railway between Lincoln / Nottingham / Sheffield / Corby and London St Pancras International

Thameslink between Bedford and Rainham / Three Bridges / East Grinstead / Haywards Heath / Horsham / Brighton, and also between Luton and Elephant & Castle / Rainham (Kent) / Orpington

Description

A points failure in the Cricklewood area means some lines are blocked. Trains running between Luton and London St Pancras International may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 30 minutes.

The earlier safety inspection of the track in the West Hampstead Thameslink area has now been resolved.

Disruption is expected until 12:00.

A visual disruption map video is available.

East Midlands Railway customer advice:

Network Rail have a fault team on site, working to resolve the problems.

How does this affect my train?

Trains running through the area will be delayed up to 30 minutes in both directions, as two of the lines are currently out of use and this will cause congestion to trains.

London Intercity Services (Sheffield / Nottingham / London St Pancras International) - due to late running services East Midlands Railway will have some alterations on this route, some services will call additionally at Bedford and Wellingborough and these trains will be amended in the online journey planners.

London Connect Services (Corby / Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras International) - will be suspended to / from London St Pancras in both directions and will only run between Kettering and Corby.

At present East Midlands Railway are expecting the problem to be fixed in the next 4 hours. As soon as the problem is fixed their priority will be to get trains running to their advertised times again. We expect the advertised timetable to resume on the affected routes by 12:00.

Visit eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/travelling-via-kings-cross for lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via London Kings Cross.

How do I get where I need to be?

Trains are likely to experience extended delays or alterations. You should use alternative routes which will be most comfortable and the quickest way to get where you need to be. Your ticket can be used at no extra cost to travel via the following alternative routes:

Sheffield

You may travel to Doncaster with CrossCountry, TransPennine Express or Northern where you should change for a train to London Kings Cross. It is likely to take between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete this journey. LNER, who run the trains between Doncaster and London Kings Cross recommend booking a seat reservation.

Derby/Chesterfield

You may travel to Birmingham New Street with CrossCountry where you should change for a train to London Euston with London Northwestern Railway or Avanti West Coast. It is likely to take between 2.5 and 3 hours to complete this journey.

Nottingham

You may travel to Grantham with East Midlands Railway where you should change for a train to London Kings Cross. It is likely to take between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete this journey. LNER, who run the trains between Grantham and London Kings Cross recommend booking a seat reservation.

Leicester

You may travel to Nuneaton with Cross Country where you should change for a train to London Euston with Avanti or London Northwestern Railway. It is likely to take 2 hours to complete this journey.

There will be a train service running between Kettering and Corby in both directions, please use the online journey planner to check your journey.

All of these alternative route options are available in the opposite direction too. Don’t worry about your ticket, other train operators know about the disruption to your journey and your ticket can be used at no extra cost on their trains.

Thameslink customer advice:

If you are travelling now, you may need to wait longer than usual for a train towards your destination. Please ensure you allow at least 30 minutes longer than normal to complete your journey.

Expected Service

• Trains which run between Bedford and Three Bridges will be suspended until further notice

If you are travelling on this route, you can use alternative Thameslink services between Bedford and Brighton, which will still run but are expected to be subject to delays and possible revisions.

These trains will also be much busier than usual. First-class carriages have been declassified on Thameslink trains between Bedford and London.

• Trains which run between St Albans City and Sutton will be reduced

You can continue to run on this route, but you may have to wait longer than usual for a train towards your destination. You can use alternative Thameslink services between St Albans and London.

You can use your ticket to travel at no extra cost on:

• Thameslink or Southern services on any reasonable route towards your destination

• East Midlands Railway services between London, Luton, and Bedford

• London Underground services on any reasonable route

• London buses on routes between Sutton, Wimbledon, and central London

Planning your journey:

To help complete your journey, you can view an alternative route guide.

Please check journey planners and station information boards before you travel and allow extra time to reach your destination.

You can see the live departure boards, and view a live map of the network.

You can also use the Thameslink app to find up-to-date travel information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Currently, a points failure is affecting southbound routes through the Cricklewood area. Points are movable sections of track that guide trains onto different routes at junctions. If they develop a fault due to obstructions, electronic failures or other issues, trains cannot safely pass.

Network Rail is sending teams to investigate. To work safely, they may need to stop trains, which could delay services.

Once on-site, they'll diagnose the fault and look for a quick fix. Some repairs may take longer if replacement parts or expert advice are needed.

Check before you travel:

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

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

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.