Lines reopened: major disruption between Luton and London St Pancras International expected until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

East Midlands Railway between Sheffield / Nottingham / Corby and London St Pancras International

Thameslink between Bedford and East Grinstead / Three Bridges / Brighton, and between Luton and Three Bridges / Sutton (Surrey) / Rainham (Kent) / Orpington, and also between St Albans City and Sutton (Surrey)

Description

Lines have reopened following a person being hit by a train between Luton and London St Pancras International.

As services return to normal, trains running through these stations may still be cancelled or severely delayed by up to 90 minutes.

Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.

If you've been affected by what happened on the network today, there is always someone to talk to. You can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 from any phone for a confidential chat.

East Midlands Railway customer advice:

Trains running through the area in both directions may experience delays of up to 90 minutes between Luton and London St Pancras International as trains cannot run between these stations.

How do I get where I need to be?

If you have a ticket dated for travel today and decide not to travel, you may use your ticket to travel tomorrow instead at no extra cost.

Trains running through the area in both directions are now able to run on specific lines at a reduced speed. However, they will experience delays of up to 90 minutes between Luton and London St Pancras International while service recovers, and alterations may apply to aid getting trains back in place.

Rail replacement buses are currently shuttling between Corby and Kettering.

Some usual ticket restrictions have been relaxed. If you hold an ‘Advance Ticket’ which is usually valid on a specific train you may use it to travel on any of East Midlands Railway trains on this route. Trains are likely to experience extended delays or alterations. You should use alternative routes which will be most comfortable and the quickest way to get where you need to be.

Your ticket can be used at no extra cost to travel via the following alternative routes:

Sheffield - You may travel to Doncaster where you should change for a train to London Kings Cross. It is likely to take between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete this journey. LNER, who run the trains between Doncaster and London Kings Cross recommend booking a seat reservation.

Derby / Chesterfield - Please continue to travel as originally planned however your journey may be delayed by up to 90 minutes. No alternative route is available due to another incident taking place on the West Coast Mainline (between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston).

Nottingham - You may travel to Grantham where you should change for a train to London Kings Cross. It is likely to take between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete this journey. LNER, who run the trains between Grantham and London Kings Cross recommend booking a seat reservation.

Leicester - Please continue to travel as originally planned however your journey may be delayed by up to 90 minutes. No alternative route is available due to another incident taking place on the West Coast Mainline (between Milton Keynes Central and London Euston).

Lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via London Kings Cross can be found on the East Midlands Railway website.

All of these alternative route options are available in the opposite direction too. East Midlands Railway promise that if you need to start your outward journey from a different operator's station due to this disruption, then you will also be able to travel back to that station when you return, regardless of if the disruption has ended or your ticket type. Rail industry colleagues will welcome you on board with your original ticket.

As it is late in the day the number of connecting trains are limited - please plan your journey to ensure you have an onward connection. If you have already started your journey, East Midlands Railway will make every effort to get you to your destination by rail. If not, East Midlands Railway will make alternative arrangements for you. Please speak to a member of the team if you are concerned about your connecting journey.

Thameslink customer advice:

This incident is still disrupting Thameslink and East Midlands Railway services. All lines have reopened, but substantial disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the evening.

This is affecting the following routes:

• Bedford - Luton - Gatwick Airport - Three Bridges - Brighton

• Luton - Dartford - Rainham

• St Albans City - Sutton

As an estimate, your journey may take up to 1-2 hours longer than usual if you travel now.

If there is an alternative route in your area, you are strongly encouraged to use this.

Ticket acceptance on alternative routes:

Due to the time of the evening, please check if an alternative service is still operating, if you need to use another route.

Your Thameslink ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on:

North of London:

• Arriva Buses on the following routes:

  • 23 / 27 / 28 between Leagrave Station and Luton Town

  • 100 / 101 between Luton, Hitchin and Stevenage

  • 301 between St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Knebworth and Stevenage

  • 302 between St Albans, Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City

  • 321 between Luton, Harpenden and St Albans, and then on to Watford Junction

• Alternative Thameslink and Great Northern services between Peterborough and Central London

• East Midlands Railway services, where available, between Bedford, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras International

Across London:

• London Buses on any route between Elstree & Borehamwood and the Central London area

• London Underground services on any reasonable route between North London and Central London

• London Trams between Wimbledon, Mitcham Junction, West Croydon and East Croydon

South of London:

• Southern services on any reasonable route between Central London, East Croydon, Redhill, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath and the South Coast

• Gatwick Express services between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, Haywards Heath and Brighton

• South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Wimbledon

• Southeastern services between:

  • London Victoria and Herne Hill

  • Central London, Dartford and Rainham, except High Speed services

• Metrobus on the following routes:

  • 20 between Horley, Gatwick Airport and Three Bridges

  • 100 / 400 / 420 and 460 between Redhill and Gatwick Airport

  • 271 between Crawley, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Preston Park and Brighton

  • 272 between Crawley, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath, Wivelsfield, Burgess Hill, Hassocks, Preston Park and Brighton

  • 273 between Crawley, Hassocks, Preston Park and Brighton

  • 430 and 435 around Merstham, Redhill and Earlswood

Using an alternative route will also take longer than usual, and other routes will be much busier.

Luton Airport journeys:

If you are making a journey to connect with a flight at Luton Airport, please leave plenty of extra time, as this is affecting services via Luton Airport Parkway station.

Replacement buses:

A small number of buses have been confirmed from suppliers, which will provide some extra capacity between St Albans City, Luton and Bedford. The bus suppliers will be Britannia, Tates, ALM, KTL and Galleon.

Buses will be under the control of Thameslink's local station staff.

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.

You can also use the Thameslink app to find up-to-date information.

Tickets for today will be valid tomorrow:

You can use your ticket for today on services tomorrow (Friday 3 October) instead.

You'll only be able to do this on trains which are operated by Thameslink and Great Northern. Please speak to other train companies if you need help travelling on their services.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

East Midlands Railway and Thameslink are working with Network Rail and the emergency services to deal with this incident as sensitively, quickly and safely as possible.

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 set-down 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.