Disruption between Stevenage and Hertford North expected until 10:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Stevenage / Hertford North and Moorgate

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Stevenage and Hertford North means that trains have to run at reduced speed. As a result, trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 10:00.

Customer advice:

Due to a fault with the signalling system in the Watton-at-Stone area, your journey may be subject to some residual delays. You can continue to use your normal route to travel, however please allow up to 15 minutes additional time to complete your journey.

For the latest information, check station screens and use online journey planners.

Ticket acceptance:

Your ticket may be used at no extra cost on the following:

• Alternative Thameslink services between Stevenage and London Kings Cross via Welwyn Garden City

• Alternative Great Northern services between Stevenage and Moorgate via Finsbury Park

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 Great Northern's WhatsApp channel. Live updates are available Monday to Friday, 07:00–21:00.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A track circuit failure is disrupting trains which are travelling between Stevenage and Hertford North.

This part of the network uses track circuits to detect the position of trains. These are electrical systems which monitor whether a train is on a section of track. They operate as part of the signalling system, which is designed to be "fail safe".

When a track circuit fails, the signalling system will interpret this as a train remaining in place, even though there may not be a train present at all, or the previous service may have long since left the area.

As a result, further trains cannot be automatically allowed onto the relevant section of track. Train drivers will be stopped by red signals on approach. They will then get verbal permission from the signaller so that they can proceed, and will run at a heavily-reduced speed as far as the next signal. This is so that the drivers will stop safely if they see anything ahead of them.

In some areas, the sections between signals can be several miles long, so this can result in delays building up. Even with shorter sections of track affected, there would still be a delay of at least a few minutes to each journey.

Track circuit faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults or obstructions on the track. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including track circuits, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible. Progress updates are being closely monitored.

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.