Disruption between Luton and London St Pancras International expected until 19:00 

Route(s) affected

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

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

Description

A points failure between St Albans City and Radlett means that some lines are disrupted. As a result, trains running between Luton and London St Pancras International may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 19:00.

A visual disruption map video is now available

East Midlands Railway customer advice:

There is points failure at Radlett Junction. This is between Luton and London St Pancras International and is disrupting trains on the Intercity between Nottingham / Sheffield and London and also on the Corby - London Connect route.

Network rail are investigating the problem and are on site now.

How does this affect my train?

Trains running through the area can now run in both directions between Luton and London St Pancras International but with delays.

Trains on the Connect route between Corby and London St Pancras International have been suspended while Network Rail continue their investigations.

How do I get where I need to be?

You should continue to travel as originally planned however your journey may be delayed.

Sheffield

You may travel to Doncaster with CrossCountry, TransPennine Express or Northern 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. This can be done up to 5 minutes before the train departs. You can see lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via London Kings Cross.

Chesterfield / Derby

You may travel to Birmingham New Street with CrossCountry where you should change for a train to London Euston with London Northwestern Railway or Avanti West Coast. It is likely to take between 2.5 and 3 hours to complete this journey. You can see lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via Euston.

Nottingham

You may travel to Grantham with East Midlands Railway 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. This can be done up to 5 minutes before the train departs. You can see lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via London Kings Cross.

Leicester

You may travel to Nuneaton with CrossCountry where you should change for a train to London Euston with Avanti West Coast or London Northwestern Railway. It is likely to take 2 hours to complete this journey. You can see lots of useful information about what to expect when travelling via Euston.

Corby / Kettering

Alternative road transport has also been arranged to keep you moving between Corby and Kettering. Buses that will be running will be visible on the on-line journey planners.

All of these alternative route options are available in the opposite direction too. Don’t worry about your ticket, other train operators know about the disruption to your journey and your ticket can be used at no extra cost on their trains.

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.

Wellingborough / Bedford

You may travel on Thameslink services between Bedford and London St Pancras International at no extra cost.

Arrangements have been made for additional services to stop at Wellingborough and Bedford.

Travel through London

To help you to travel between stations in London you may use your tickets on the London Underground at no extra cost.

East Midlands Railway teams are currently looking at alternative arrangements to keep you on the move. Please remember that this can take time and be assured that the team are working tirelessly to arrange this as quickly as possible for you.

Thameslink customer advice:

Services running through the St Albans City area are expected to be disrupted this afternoon.

Please check before you travel today using online journey planners and live departure boards. For certain routes you will need to take a different train than planned, or use an alternative route to complete your journey instead. Journeys may take around 20-30 minutes longer than usual as a result, so allow extra time to account for this.

The following changes are expected to services running in both directions:

• Services that run between St Albans City and Sutton (via both Mitcham Junction and via Wimbledon) will be suspended

• Services that run between West Hampstead Thameslink / Kentish Town / London Blackfriars and Orpington (peak services) will be suspended

• Services that run between Bedford and East Grinstead (peak services) will be suspended

• A reduced service for Kentish Town, Cricklewood and Hendon

Other services may be subject to delays, cancelled, terminated and restarted at a different station to normal, or will have cancelled stops.

Stations between Blackfriars and Sutton via both Wimbledon and Mitcham Junction have either no service.

Tickets will be accepted for no extra cost on the following:

• Southern services via any reasonable route including between London and Sutton

• Thameslink services via any reasonable route including between London and East Croydon

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

• South Western Railway between London Waterloo and Wimbledon

• Southeastern between London Bridge and Orpington

• London Underground via any reasonable route

• London Buses on any reasonable route between London and Sutton

• London Trams between East Croydon, Mitcham Junction and Wimbledon

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.

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

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A points failure is affecting some routes through the Radlett / St Albans City area.

Points are moveable sections of track that guide trains onto different routes at junctions. If they develop a fault due to obstructions, electronic failures or other issues, trains cannot safely pass.

Network Rail is sending teams to investigate. To work safely, they may need to stop trains, which could delay services.

Once on-site, they'll diagnose the fault and look for a quick fix. Some repairs may take longer if replacement parts or expert advice are needed.

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.