Residual delays between Hitchin and Cambridge expected until the end of the day 

Route(s) affected

between Hitchin and Cambridge

Description

Following damage to the overhead wires between Hitchin and Cambridge all lines have reopened. As service recovers, trains may still be delayed by up to 30 minutes.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer advice:

Delays are expected due to a problem with the overhead electrical wires in the Cambridge area. Disruption is expected to last until this evening.

If you are looking to travel or are currently travelling you will likely experience some delays. Great Northern will be providing a shuttle service between Kings Lynn and Cambridge.

If you require stations south of Cambridge, you will need to change here for alternative services. Journey planners will be updated shortly to reflect this. Please allow at least an additional 20 minutes time to complete your journey

For the latest information, please check online journey planners and live departure boards or speak to station staff

Planning your journey:

You can check train departures from your station here:

• Thameslink live departure boards

• Great Northern live departure boards

You can see live maps of our network here:

• Thameslink live map

• Great Northern live map

You can also see our alternative route guides here:

• Thameslink alternative route guide

• Great Northern 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 or Great Northern apps to get more information about your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

There is disruption to services because of an earlier problem with the pantograph equipment on a train. Pantographs are roof-mounted devices which allow trains to collect electricity from the overhead wires.

Within a pantograph, a spring-loaded arm holds a carbon tube against the overhead wires. This slides along the wires whilst the train is in motion, allowing trains to be continuously powered.

There are various faults which may occur - for example, electrical faults within the pantograph equipment itself, or debris causing an obstruction, which can prevent the train from drawing power.

In most cases, if a fault is detected, the train will stop and the driver will receive a warning message in their cab. Safety checks will then be needed to investigate whether it could be an issue with the train, or an external fault with debris or the wires themselves. This can take some time, which leads to a delay to your journey.

Staff are currently investigating today's incident alongside Network Rail, making sure trains can run as normal.

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 drop-off 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.