A speed restriction over defective track between St Albans City and West Hampstead Thameslink means that trains have to run at reduced speed on some southbound lines.
Train services running through these stations may be delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
You're advised to use your normal route, but please be aware of some delays affecting trains heading from Bedford, Luton and St Albans City towards London St Pancras International. These delays will affect southbound Thameslink and East Midlands Railway services throughout the day.
Please check the station screens and listen carefully to announcements before you board your train. Some trains may need to use alternative platforms compared to those usually served at St Albans City, Radlett, Elstree & Borehamwood, Mill Hill Broadway, Hendon, Cricklewood and West Hampstead Thameslink. This is because fast and stopping trains may need to swap between lines to ease congestion.
We will do everything we can to limit congestion, but if any severe delays occur, we'll update this message with alternative route options and ticket acceptance.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
At 03:23 this morning, Network Rail reported that they had found a crack in one of the metal components within a set of points at Radlett Junction. This is between Radlett and Elstree & Borehamwood stations.
The points are on the southbound line which is usually used by East Midlands Railway services and some faster Thameslink services towards London. (At this location, there are two northbound lines and two southbound lines, with one line in each direction used by fast services, and the other used by semi-fast and all-stations services.)
Due to the nature of the defect, trains on this line are being restricted to run at 20mph until repairs can be carried out. We do not expect that Network Rail can carry out these repairs before the end of the day - they will need to return overnight, when fewer trains are using the railway, so that they can close the affected line and replace the component.
Because the usual speed of trains in this area is much higher than 20mph, there will be some delays to services. This may result in a queue of trains and some peak-time congestion.
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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.
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