Lines reopened: delays between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International expected until 19:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Luton and Rainham (Kent), between Bedford and Three Bridges, and also between St Albans and Sutton

Description

Lines have reopened following a safety inspection of the track between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International. Trains between these stations may still be delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Delays are expected until 19:00.

Customer advice:

Trains can now run between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras as usual, but trains running through this area will still be disrupted.

Thameslink are working to return to the scheduled timetable, but please continue to check journey planners and station information boards before you travel. Your journey may take up to 20 minutes longer than usual, and you may need to wait longer for a train, or change trains more times than usual, to reach your destination.

Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following alternatives:

North of London

• East Midlands Railway services between Bedford, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras International (these services are able tor run as normal)
  

Within London

• London Underground on any reasonable route including to / from West Hampstead and between London Terminals

South of London

• Southern and Gatwick Express services on any reasonable route between London and East Croydon / Gatwick Airport / Brighton

• Southeastern on any reasonable route between London and Rainham (excluding high-speed services)

• South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Wimbledon

• London Buses between central London and Sutton via both Wimbledon and Mitcham

• London Trams between East Croydon / West Croydon, Mitcham Junction and Wimbledon

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 Thameslink app to find up-to-date information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Earlier this afternoon, the driver of a train reported sparking coming from the overhead electric power wires. Trains were briefly brought to a stand, then ran at reduced speeds whilst a safety inspect of the track is carried out. No further issues were found and lines have now reopened and trains can run normally again, but delays, alterations and cancellations remain possible whilst staff work to return services to normal.

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.