Incident resolved: disruption between London St Pancras International and St Albans City / Luton expected until 22:30 

Route(s) affected

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

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

Description

The earlier points failure between London St Pancras International and St Albans City / Luton has now been rectified, allowing all lines between these stations to reopen.

Until service recovers, trains may still be cancelled in full, delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised to only run for part of their normal journey.

This is expected until 22:30.

Advice for Thameslink customers:

For most journeys you can use your planned route to travel, however you may still need to change trains to complete your journey and allow extra time to arrive at your destination. Trains running via St Albans City have been delayed by up to 15 minutes.

Some services that normally run between Sutton and St Albans City may terminate and restart at earlier stations than usual.

If you are travelling between Wimbledon and Sutton, you may prefer to use a London bus service to connect with alternative trains at Sutton or East Croydon. You can also use London Underground services at no extra cost to connect between London Victoria and London Blackfriars / London St Pancras International.

Tickets are being accepted at no extra cost on:

• Alternative Southern services between London and Sutton

• London buses between Wimbledon, Sutton and East Croydon

• London Underground services between London terminals

Travelling via an alternative route will extend your journey time by at least 30 minutes.

Departure boards and station announcements are up to date, so please keep an eye on the latest information when you're travelling.

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

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A points failure was reported earlier today which was affecting access to the section of track at St Albans City that allows trains to turn around for their next service.

Points are moveable sections of track that guide trains from one route to another at junctions. If they develop a fault, for example because something is obstructing the moving parts or there is a problem with the electronic control system, they may not move into the correct position. The signalling system may also be unable to confirm that they are safely positioned.

For safety, trains cannot travel over points unless they are correctly positioned and secured. In some cases, the points can be secured in one position, allowing trains to continue using some routes through the junction while others remain unavailable.

Network Rail have investigated the fault and have confirmed that the points have returned to working normally.

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.