Lines reopened: disruption between Luton and London St Pancras International expected until 10:00 

Route(s) affected

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

Thameslink between Bedford and Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges / East Grinstead / Haywards Heath / Horsham / Brighton, and also between Luton and Elephant & Castle / Gillingham (Kent) / Rainham (Kent) / Orpington

Description

All lines have now reopened following a safety inspection of the track between Luton and London St Pancras International. Trains running between these stations may continue to be delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 10:00.

East Midlands Railway customer advice:

You should continue to travel as originally planned, however, your journey may be delayed by 30 minutes.

To help keep you on the move this morning we have arranged for you to use your tickets with other train operators.

You may use your original ticket at no extra cost with Thameslink between Bedford and London St Pancras International in both direction.

Thameslink customer advice:

Services running in both directions have been delayed between St Albans City and West Hampstead Thameslink this morning.

Trains were brought to a stand for around 15 minutes but are now on the move again. Some short notice alterations are possible as a result, meaning some services may have cancelled stops or will terminate and restart at a different station to normal instead.

You can travel using your normal route but please check before you travel and allow extra time for your journey this morning - it is advised you leave around an extra 10-20 minutes.

Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on East Midlands Railway services between Bedford, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras International.

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.

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

Tell me more about this incident:

Network Rail were investigating reports of a smell of gas in the Elstree & Borehamwood area this morning, and trains were briefly brought to a stand whilst this was done. It has now been confirmed as safe to run trains normally again through the area and services are now on the move again.

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.