Lines reopened: disruption between Luton and Bedford expected until 17:00 

Route(s) affected

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

Thameslink between Brighton / Three Bridges / Gatwick Airport / East Grinstead and Bedford

Description

Lines have reopened following a trespass incident in the Leagrave area earlier today.

Whilst service recovers, trains running through these stations may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

This is expected until 17:00.

Thameslink customer advice:

If you are travelling between Luton and Bedford today, you can still use your normal route, but please plan ahead and allow at least an extra 30 minutes to complete your journey.

Some services may be cancelled, delayed, or revised at short notice. This means certain trains might terminate before reaching their scheduled destinations or skip stops along the way, so you may need to change trains en route to complete your journey.

These alterations are necessary to help get trains and crews back into their correct positions for the rest of today's timetable.

Live departure boards, station screens, and announcements will be kept fully updated. Please check a live journey planner app before you set off for the latest information.

Planning your journey:

Live departure boards can be viewed.

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 Thameslink app will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A trespass incident has been reported in the Leagrave area.

In this case, operators needed to stop trains entirely, as it's not safe to run services past the person. Emergency services and Network Rail responders are attending to make sure the person is removed.

Trespassing on the railway is very dangerous. Trains run all day, every day - whether passenger trains, freight trains or specialist engineering work machines. It's not possible to be sure that you can hear when a train is coming, and in many cases, you won't see a train until it is very close to you.

In many areas, trains are powered by an electric third rail, which carries a dangerous electric current. There are also other electrical systems and cables, slippery surfaces, steep drops and other hazards.

Network Rail manage the railway infrastructure, and they're working hard to educate everyone about these dangers and prevent people from accessing the track.

As well as the dangers, trespassing on the railway is also illegal, and obstructing the railway can carry severe penalties.

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.