Delays to Thameslink services at London St Pancras International expected until 11:45 

Route(s) affected

Thameslink services at London St Pancras International

Description

A fault with the signalling system between West Hampstead Thameslink and London St Pancras International means some lines are blocked. As a result, Thameslink services between these stations may be delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected until 11:45.

Customer advice:

You can use your planned route to travel, however we recommend leaving at least 20 minutes more time to complete your journey.

Late-running trains may be revised. This means they may not stop at all of the usual stations, or they may terminate part of the way along their usual routes.

As a result, you may need to change trains to get to your destination.

Thameslink will be keeping departure boards and station announcements up to date, so please keep an eye on the latest information when you're travelling.

Please speak to station staff and check information boards for the latest information.

Planning your journey:

You can view live departure boards can be found.

You can view a live map of the network.

You can also see alternative route guide.

If you're travelling in the London area, you can plan journeys on alternative routes by using the TfL Journey Planner here.

The Thameslink app will also help you plan your journey.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

This part of the network uses track circuits to detect the position of trains. These are electrical systems which monitor whether a train is on a section of track. They operate as part of the signalling system, which is designed to be "fail safe".

When a track circuit fails, the signalling system will interpret this as a train remaining in place, even though there may not be a train present at all, or the previous service may have long since left the area.

As a result, further trains cannot be automatically allowed onto the relevant section of track. Train drivers will be stopped by red signals on approach. They will then get verbal permission from the signaller so that they can proceed, and will run at a heavily-reduced speed as far as the next signal. This is so that the drivers will stop safely if they see anything ahead of them.

In some areas, the sections between signals can be several miles long, so this can result in delays building up. Even with shorter sections of track affected, there would still be a delay of at least a few minutes to each journey.

Track circuit faults can be caused by a number of different issues, including electronic faults or obstructions on the track. Network Rail manage the signalling system, including track circuits, and their staff will be investigating as quickly as possible.

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.