Disruption to Thameslink services at Dartford expected until 18:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Rainham (Kent) and West Hampstead Thameslink / Luton

Description

A points failure in the Dartford area is causing disruption to Thameslink services through this station. Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 18:00.

Customer advice:

You will need to allow extra time to travel today between Rainham (Kent) and London, due to an ongoing points failure in the Dartford area.

If you are travelling on this route, you will need to use an alternative route to complete your journey and your travel time will be extended by up to 30 minutes.

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

Service changes:

Thameslink services between Rainham and Luton are suspended until further notice.

You will need to use Southeastern services to complete your journey, and full details for these journeys are below:

• For services between Rainham and Gravesend, take a Ramsgate to London St Pancras International Southeastern service, valid between Rainham and Gravesend only. If you are at stations between Rainham and Rochester, you can use Southeastern services to London Victoria and change for Southern and London Underground services to complete your journey

• For services between Gravesend and Dartford, take a Gravesend to London Charing Cross Southeastern service, valid between Gravesend and Dartford only

• For services between Dartford and Woolwich Arsenal, take a Dartford to London Cannon Street Southeastern service valid between Dartford and Woolwich Arsenal

• For services between Woolwich Arsenal and London Bridge, take a Slade Green to London Cannon Street Southeastern service, valid between Woolwich Arsenal and London Bridge

Ticket acceptance:

You can use your ticket at no additional cost on the following services:

• Southeastern services between Rainham and London Victoria and between Orpington and London Victoria or London Charing Cross and between Dartford and London stations

• London Underground between London terminals

If you're waiting on a train which is delayed between stations:

If your train is delayed between stations, please stay on board and listen for updates. You can also ask staff if you need more information. Thameslink know where you are and are working to get you moving as soon as possible.

For your safety, please don’t leave the train unless instructed. Other trains may still be running, and the tracks can be very dangerous. If the area has an electric third rail, it stays live even during delays and looks just like the other rails.

Planning your journey:

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

You can also view an alternative route guide.

If you're travelling in the London area, you can plan journeys on alternative routes by using the TfL Journey Planner.

You can use the Southern app to find up-to-date information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A points failure is affecting some routes through this area.

Points are moveable 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.

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.