Disruption between Stevenage and Hertford North expected until 14:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Stevenage and Moorgate

Description

A fault on a train between Stevenage and Hertford North means all lines are blocked. Trains running between these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 40 minutes or terminated at and started back from Hertford North. Watton-At-Stone will not be served.

Disruption is expected until 14:00.

Customer advice:

If you are travelling between Stevenage and Hertford North, you will need to allow at least an extra 45 minutes to complete your journey. You may need to travel via Finsbury Park to reach your destination, which will extend your travel time.

At present, no services are able to call at Watton-at-Stone. If you are travelling from this station, please press the green button on the station help point for alternative travel arrangements.

Travelling from Stevenage towards London (via Hertford North)

Trains from Stevenage towards Moorgate cannot call at stations via Hertford North. If you are travelling from Stevenage towards London and want to reach a station on the Hertford North line, please travel down to Finsbury Park first, and change there for a northbound service in the opposite direction.

Travelling from Hertford North line stations towards Stevenage

If you are travelling from stations between Bowes Park and Hertford North towards Stevenage, please travel in the opposite direction down to Finsbury Park first, and change there for a northbound train to Stevenage via Welwyn Garden City.

Ticket Acceptance

To help you complete your journey on the above routes you can use your ticket at no extra cost on any of the following:

• Any alternative Great Northern service between Hertford North & Moorgate and between Finsbury Park and Stevenage

• Any Thameslink services between London, Finsbury Park and Stevenage

Planning your journey:

You can check your journey using the live departure boards, and you can view a live map of the network.

You can also see 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.

The Great Northern app will also help you plan your journey.

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

If your train is delayed between stations, please remain where you are and listen to announcements, or speak to staff for further information. We'll get you moving as soon as possible.

Please don't leave the train unless you are asked to do so. Other trains may still be moving in the area, and the track is also a very hazardous environment.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Great Northern have had a report of a fault on a train, and this is now causing delays to other services travelling through this area.

Normally, when a fault on a train occurs, crews will gather details and report this to Fleet teams. If possible, the defect will be fixed promptly, and we'll get the train on the way. Initial steps are designed to take around 10 minutes.

However, sometimes the fault cannot be fixed in this time frame. In this case, wherever possible, the train will be taken out of use and sent to a depot. This does take additional time, as the crew will need to make sure that everyone's managed to leave the train.

If this can't be done either, specialist engineers will be sent to site, known as "fitters". Fitters are based in key locations around the network, 24 hours a day, and they are able to attend anywhere on routes. Once they are on site, they will then monitor progress updates and ensure that the railway can be reopened as promptly as possible.

Until the defective train can be moved, Great Northern will try to find a way to get other trains around the issue. This depends how many lines are available, and whether the signalling equipment is set up to allow trains to be routed around the problem. This is more often the case on major routes, but not always. Teams will work with Network Rail's controllers to decide how many more trains can be sent through the area, and if this isn't possible, we'll see what alternative solutions are available to help you continue your journey.

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.