Delays between Hitchin and Cambridge expected until 09:30 

Route(s) affected

Great Northern between London Kings Cross and Cambridge / Ely / Kings Lynn

Thameslink between Brighton and Cambridge

Description

There is a broken down freight train between Hitchin and Cambridge meaning trains have to run at a reduced speed towards Cambridge. As a result, services running between these stations may be delayed by up to 30 minutes.

Disruption is expected until 09:30.

Customer advice

If you are traveling from Hitchin towards Cambridge you will need allow at least an additional 30 minutes to complete your journey.

If you are traveling in the opposite direction from Cambridge towards Hitchin you can continue your normal route. Please allow an additional 15 minutes through this area due to disruption.

Please talk to station staff, look at the information boards or check your journey planner for the most recent information.

Planning your journey:

You can check your journey using the Live Departure Boards, and 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.

You can use the Great Northern or Thameslink app to plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

We've had a report of a fault on a freight train, and this is now causing delays to other services travelling through this area.

Normally, when a fault on a train occurs, our crews will gather details and report this to our Fleet teams. If possible, the defect will be fixed promptly, and we'll get the train on the way. Our initial steps are designed to take around 10 minutes.

However, sometimes the fault cannot be fixed in this time frame. In this case, wherever possible, the train will be taken out of use and sent to a depot. This does take additional time, as the crew will need to make sure that everyone's managed to leave the train.

If this can't be done either, we'll send our specialist engineers to site, known as "fitters". We have fitters based in key locations around the network, 24 hours a day, and they are able to attend anywhere on our routes. Once they are on site, we'll then monitor progress updates and ensure that the railway can be reopened as promptly as possible.

Until the defective train can be moved, we will try to find a way to get other trains around the issue. This depends how many lines are available, and whether the signalling equipment is set up to allow trains to be routed around the problem. This is more often the case on our major routes, but not always. We'll work with Network Rail's controllers to decide how many more trains can be sent through the area, and if this isn't possible, we'll see what alternative solutions are available to help you continue your journey.

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.