Residual disruption between Stevenage and London expected until 08:45 

Route(s) affected

Grand Central between Sunderland / Bradford Interchange and London Kings Cross

Great Northern between Kings Lynn / Ely / Cambridge / Letchworth Garden City / Stevenage and London Kings Cross and also between Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate

Hull Trains between Hull and London Kings Cross

LNER between Aberdeen / Edinburgh / Newcastle / York / Harrogate / Bradford Forster Square / Leeds / Lincoln and London Kings Cross

Lumo between Glasgow Queen Street / Edinburgh and London Kings Cross

Thameslink between Cambridge and Brighton

Description

Following an earlier fault with the signalling system between Stevenage and Finsbury Park, lines have reopened. Whilst service recovers, trains between Stevenage and London may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 08:45.

Great Northern and Thameslink customer advice:

There will be some ongoing residual disruption to services travelling through the Alexandra Palace area. This was due to an earlier signalling fault.

Some services may still be subject to delays, cancellations and last minute alterations. Please continue to allow at least an extra 20 minutes to reach your destination.

Please check before you travel using online journey planners and live departure boards for the latest information.

Planning your journey with Thameslink:

For help planning your journey, check live departure boards, view a live network map or see alternative route guides.

Planning your journey with Great Northern:

For help planning your journey, check live departure boards, view a live network map or see alternative route guides.

If you’re travelling within London, you can use the TfL Journey Planner.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

An earlier fault with a signal is affecting trains on the route between Stevenage and Finsbury Park.

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 have resolved the issue and trains can start to run as usual and the scheduled service can begin to recover.

Ticket flexibility:

If your train is cancelled, you will be able to travel on an alternative service operated by any other participating train company, either two hours before or two hours after the original departure time of the cancelled service, in order to reach your destination.

If you decide not to travel or cannot complete your journey due to cancellations, you are entitled to a full refund from your original point of sale.

For further information and guidance please contact your train company or speak to a member of railway staff.

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.