No trains between Ely and Kings Lynn until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

Trains between London Kings Cross and Kings Lynn

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Ely and Kings Lynn means all lines are blocked. As a result, trains will be cancelled or revised.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

No trains can run between Ely and Kings Lynn until further notice. You will need to use an alternative route to reach your destination.

You should allow at least an additional 60 minutes to complete your journey today.

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

How is the service being changed?

While this disruption is ongoing, Great Northern will be making the following changes to services:

Trains that normally run between London Kings Cross and Kings Lynn will run between London Kings Cross and Ely.

The following stations will not be served by Great Northern services until further notice:

• Littleport

• Downham Market

• Watlington

• Kings Lynn

If you are travelling to or from these stations

Great Northern have requested rail replacement buses for this route. These have not been confirmed yet but we will update here when they are confirmed. This will add between 30 and 60 additional minutes to complete your journey.

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.

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

Can you tell me more about the incident?

Trains may be delayed due to a fault with a signal in this area. In this case, the signal is unable to show the normal coloured light indications to drivers, which means that your train will need to travel at reduced speed on this part of the network.

Railway signals are designed to warn drivers that they have to stop because the system can't yet confirm that the route ahead is clear. In most places, the signalling system will show a green light, or aspect, when the track is clear for a long distance ahead, and drivers will then be shown one or two yellow lights to warn them when they are approaching a red signal. This means that they can anticipate the amount of braking that's required to stop before they reach another train or any form of problem on the line.

Signalling runs on "fail safe" principles, so if the signals can't step through the usual colours, they will instead show a more restrictive colour - for example, yellow instead of green. This means drivers will be expecting to come to a stop, but in fact, the route ahead may still be clear. This leads to delays whilst trains proceed more slowly than usual.

The signalling system is maintained by Network Rail, and we're working closely with them to diagnose the fault and make sure it is fixed as quickly as possible. Until this is done, Great Northern will be closely monitoring the train service and doing their best to keep to the timetable.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

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.