Major disruption between London St Pancras International and London Blackfriars until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

Between Bedford and Brighton / East Grinstead / Haywards Heath / Horsham / Three Bridges, between Cambridge and Brighton, between Peterborough and Horsham, between Luton and Elephant & Castle / Orpington / Rainham, between West Hampstead Thameslink and Orpington, between Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks, also between St Albans City and Sutton

Description

A fault with the signalling system between London St Pancras International and London Blackfriars means fewer trains are able to run on all lines. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 45 minutes or revised.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

There is a reduced service running between Bedford and London / Gatwick, and between St Albans City and Sutton, this morning. You may have to wait longer for a train, and change more often, to reach you destination. Please check station screens and journey planners for the latest information.

Service changes and alternative journey options:

Thameslink are currently running to the following service plan. There is a summarised list of ticket acceptance further down this message.

Please leave at least 30 minutes of extra time if you need to use an alternative route. This is not an exact estimate, and will depend on where you are travelling.

Trains between Bedford and Three Bridges via Redhill will be suspended

• Alternative Thameslink services will run between Bedford and Brighton, with delays - however, these trains do not stop at stations between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport via Redhill

• Southern services on the route between London Victoria and Reigate will run, providing a service between East Croydon, Coulsdon South, Merstham and Redhill

• Most Thameslink services between Peterborough and Horsham will still run, and wherever possible, will stop additionally at Earlswood and Salfords, where they do not already do so

There will be a reduced service between St Albans City and Sutton. The service that would usually run via Mitcham Junction is suspended. The service that runs via Wimbledon will operate as normal.

• Southern services will provide an alternative route between Streatham and Sutton, via Mitcham Junction

• London Trams services between Wimbledon and Croydon will provide an option to connect via East Croydon

• London Buses between London Blackfriars and Sutton will provide alternative route options

Ticket acceptance

Your ticket will be accepted on the following, at no extra cost:

North of London

• Alternative Thameslink services, and Great Northern services

• East Midlands Railway trains between Bedford and London St Pancras International

• London Buses between Elstree and Central London - please tell the driver the reference number

• London Underground via any reasonable route

Across London

• London Underground via any reasonable route

South of London

• Alternative Thameslink services

• London Underground via any reasonable route

• Southern services on any reasonable route

• London Buses between London Blackfriars and Sutton, and between Croydon, Coulsdon South, Merstham and Redhill, and between Central London and Dartford

• London Trams services between Wimbledon and Croydon will provide an option to connect to other services at East Croydon

• Gatwick Express between Gatwick and Brighton

Planning your journey:

Please continue to check journey planners, and when you are travelling please listen to announcements, and check station screens.

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?

Thameslink teams are working with Network Rail engineers to identify the root cause of the signalling issue and implement a permanent fix as quickly and safely as possible.

Thameslink understand how frustrating and stressful it is to face repeated delays and last-minute cancellations, especially when you rely on our services to get to work and appointments.

Staff know that the uncertainty these faults create can make even short journeys feel challenging. Please know that your time is valuable, and every delay has a real impact on your daily life — something they take very seriously.

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.