Disruption between Hitchin and Cambridge expected until 08:00 

Route(s) affected

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

Thameslink between Brighton and Cambridge

Description

A fault with the signalling system between Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge means trains will run at a reduced speed on some lines. Trains running between Hitchin and Cambridge may be delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 08:00.

Customer advice:

Due to a fault with the signalling system in the Royston area, your journey may be subject to delays as trains will be running at reduced speeds through the affected area. You can continue to use your normal route to travel, however please allow up to 15 minutes additional time to complete your journey.

For the latest information, check station screens and use online journey planners.

Planning your journey:

You can see live maps of our network here:

- Thameslink live map

- Great Northern live map

These maps will now show where your journey is likely to be delayed.

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?

A fault with a signal is affecting trains on the route between Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge.

Signals tell train drivers when it’s safe to continue into the next section of track. The signalling system will show a green light when the track is clear for a long distance ahead, and drivers will then be shown one or two yellow lights to warn them when they are approaching a red signal. This means that they can anticipate the amount of braking that's required to stop before they reach another train or any form of problem on the line.

If a signal develops a fault, it may be unable to show the normal sequence of coloured lights. The signalling system is designed to keep trains safe when this happens, so the affected signal will show a more restrictive indication. Drivers may need to stop and get permission from the signaller before continuing, or travel at a reduced speed through the affected area.

These additional safety measures mean journeys through the area take longer and can cause trains to queue behind one another. In severe cases, services may need to be cancelled, revised or diverted to prevent delays from building up across the wider network.

Network Rail signalling specialists are investigating the fault and will work to repair the affected equipment. Once the fault has been fixed and the signalling system is working normally, trains will be able to run as usual and the scheduled service can begin to recover.

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.