Disruption to Great Northern and Thameslink services through Finsbury Park expected until 09:00 

Route(s) affected

Great Northern between Cambridge / Royston / Letchworth Garden City and London Kings Cross, and also between Stevenage / Hertford North / Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate

Thameslink between Peterborough and Three Bridges / Horsham, between Cambridge and Brighton, and also between Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks

Description

Following an earlier points failure in the Finsbury Park area affecting Great Northern and Thameslink services, trains are returning to normal through this station. Whilst service recovers, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes, or revised.

Disruption is expected until 09:00.

Customer advice:

If you are travelling through Finsbury Park this morning, you can travel on your normal route, but services will be disrupted.

You will need to allow at least an additional 30 minutes to complete your journey.

Please talk to station staff, look at the information boards or check your journey planner for the most recent information.

Can I use my ticket with another operator?

You can travel on the following services at no additional cost:

• Alternative Great Northern services between Hitchin and Finsbury Park

• Thameslink services between Hitchin and London St Pancras International

• London Underground between all London terminals

Please be aware that using alternative travel will add at least 30 minutes to your journey depending on the route.

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.

Stay up to date on the move with Thameslink's WhatsApp channel. Live updates are available Monday to Friday, 07:00–21:00.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A points failure had been reported, and this was preventing trains from using some of the routes through this area. The fault has now been fixed, and a normal timetable is in the process of being restored.

Points are moveable sections of track that guide trains from one route to another at junctions. If they develop a fault, for example because something is obstructing the moving parts or there is a problem with the electronic control system, they may not move into the correct position. The signalling system may also be unable to confirm that they are safely positioned.

For safety, trains cannot travel over points unless they are correctly positioned and secured. In some cases, the points can be secured in one position, allowing trains to continue using some routes through the junction while others remain unavailable.

Network Rail signalling specialists are investigating the fault and will work to repair the affected equipment. Depending on the cause, this may involve removing an obstruction, repairing the equipment or replacing faulty parts.

Staff may sometimes need access to the track while the fault is investigated or repaired. Trains may need to be stopped for a short time while this happens, which means your train could be held at a station or signal even if its usual route through the area remains available.

Some faults can be resolved relatively quickly, while others may require replacement parts or specialist advice. This means it may not always be possible to confirm straight away how long the disruption will last.

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.