A fault with the signalling system at St Albans means trains running through the station may be delayed by up to 10 minutes or cancelled.
Disruption is expected until 14:00.
Customer Advice
Thameslink services will be affected in the St Albans area. Services may be cancelled or revised as a result of a points failure affecting trains that operate between Sutton and St Albans. This may delay your journey by at least 10 minutes, and you may need to change trains to reach your destination.
You can travel as normal in most instances, but please check your journey to see the latest information regarding your intended service. You can use your ticket at no extra cost on alternative Thameslink services via any reasonable route.
Planning your journey:
You can view a live map of the network here.
Can you tell me more about the incident?
A points failure has been reported, and this is preventing trains from using some of the routes through this area.
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.
There are various backup systems which allow signallers to try to "set" the points, and in some cases, the points may be available for trains in one of the directions they serve, but not another. However, with more severe failures, the line in question may be blocked entirely.
Network Rail will send their specialist Signalling & Telecoms teams to 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 your train being held at stations or signals en route.
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, teams 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.