A points failure at Gravesend means that the line towards Dartford is blocked. Thameslink trains running through this station may be delayed by up to 40 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 15:30.

Customer advice

If you are travelling between Gravesend and Dartford, you may need to use an alternative route, and your journey may take up to 30 minutes longer than usual.

To help you plan your journey, you can find the alternative route maps on the website here

Please check journey planners and station information boards before you travel, and allow extra time to reach your destination.

Live departure boards can be found here and you can check the live map here to see if your journey has been affected.

You can also use the Thameslink app to find up-to-date travel information.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

A points failure has been reported, and this is preventing trains from travelling from Gravesend towards Dartford and London.

Points are moveable sections of track which can send trains onto different routes at junctions. These are part of the signalling system, generally managed by Network Rail.

Points can stop moving correctly for a number of reasons. For example, there may be an obstruction in the moving parts, or the electronic control systems may have developed a fault.

Network Rail will send their specialist Signalling & Telecoms teams to the site, and they will set up a safe method of working on the track. To allow staff to access the railway, sometimes we have to stop trains completely, which can lead to trains on other routes also being held at stations or signals.

As soon as it's safe to go on the line, the staff will diagnose the fault and find any quick solutions to resolve it.

Whilst this is being done, we will be monitoring progress closely. At times, replacement parts may be needed, or specialist advice from suppliers, which is why some points failures take longer to resolve than others.

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.